Driving Hope
by Thunderstarter
Summary: Part 2 of "The Void" series. With Sean, Julie, Jo and Jordan trying to close The Void, it's up to Matt and Parker to protect the world with their Pokemon against Celebi's army, whose goal is to obliterate human civilization.
1. The Staircase To Nowhere

**Welcome back to "The Void" series!**

**I decided against doing the Matt and Parker Chronicles, I wanted to continue the main story. Matt and Parker are going to be a bigger part of "Driving Hope" than "Into the Void". You'll get plenty of them then. Trust me**

**A few things to expect from "Driving Hope":**

**-Longer chapters (meaning more substance)**

**-More subplots (because there were only two in last book)**

**-More interesting concepts**

**-Final Fantasy characters (This isn't going to be marked as a cross-over, so I'll give special recognition to the Final Fantasy characters in each chapter they appear in.)**

**Here's what I expect from "Driving Hope":**

**-Reviews**

**-Improving my writing style**

**To new readers: I highly recommend you read the first book, "Into the Void" first, the first 13 chapters have decent writing, but you'll notice that the writing and plot improves as the chapters go on. If you wish to read it, it's on my profile. You'll be utterly confused if you don't, mind you, I refuse to give recaps.**

**I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!**

**Now please, enjoy the first chapter of "Driving Hope"!**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Driving Hope**

**Book 2 of "The Void" series**

**By: Thunderstarter**

**Chapter 1: The Staircase to Nowhere/Escape!**

If Sean had ever seen the color black before, it wasn't it. _This_ was black. It was so black that he couldn't _feel_ Suicune under him, he couldn't _feel_ Julie grabbing onto his waist. His only assurance that he hadn't been lost into The Void was that he was still conscious. And even that idea was a longshot.

"Hello?" Sean yelled. He couldn't hear his voice. He panicked. He flailed his arms around, trying to touch something, or someone. He trust his arms downward, Suicune wasn't there. He fell back in order to fall into Julie, she wasn't there.

"HELLO?" Sean yelled at the top of his lungs, or he thought he did. He still couldn't hear himself. He picked at his ears; maybe earwax was getting in the way of his hearing. He knew it wouldn't work, but he tried it anyway.

Sean felt an icy chill go up his body, starting at his toes. It was as if he was slowly being placed into a pool of liquid nitrogen. Thousands of needles stabbed at his toes, then thousands more at his ankles, his femur, he tried to scream as they slowly ascended his body, but nothing happened. How could this be happening? Where was he?

Slowly but surely the needles ascended, in a desperate attempt to see what was going on, Sean summoned his twin daggers and lit them up with electricity. As suddenly as the light was there, it was gone again. Sean couldn't see what was going on. He let out a scream of agony as the needles reached his waist.

He fought to stay awake; he couldn't give in to whatever was happening. He was starting to lose energy. He couldn't see himself. Was he dead? Was there really a Heaven? Or did he just go to Hell? Was he being encased in ice in the lowest circle just like Dante said the worst sinners would?

It was too late to find out. The needles had reached his neck, and his throat started to close. He began to rely solely on breathing through his nose, but when the needles reached his lips it was becoming impossible to breathe.

He was dying. This was the end. He went through so much pain, hardships, victories, and tragedies to die when he entered The Void.

Sean tried to stay awake…if he really was awake. But it was over. His whole body was being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles. It was so cold. He wanted to go home. He wanted to give up. If this is what the whole void was going to be like, he would never make it.

Sean lost consciousness.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

"What now?" Parker asked, staring directly into The Void which his friends had just jumped into. He wondered if they were alright.

_We continue the fight here_, Mew said, _we have to keep the world safe for when the others get back._

"How long will that be?" asked Matt.

_It could be any amount of time,_ Mew said, _they could be back in a few seconds, a few days, months, years, decades, or millennia. Time in The Void flows differently and a lot less consistently than here. What is a few seconds to them could be a year for us, or vice versa._

"Mew," Parker said, "What happens if we die before they come back?"

_We'll have an army fighting for us by that time, I'm sure. Plus, the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if we lost before you two died…or you died fighting in our final battle._

"Wait a second!" Matt yelled, "You don't think we can do this?"

_Not alone. With the other four here, yes. They couldn't do it without you, either. All six of you need to be together in order for our side to be victorious, and even that's a long shot. Celebi's forces are growing, she has the Black Hand on her side now, and I have reports coming in from Jirachi that she's teaming up with the terrorists, the ones who started this whole mess._

"Why are you being so negative?" Parker asked, he got close to Mew and looked him in the eye, "Why don't you think we're going to win? And even if we're not, why are you telling us this? Do you think it's going to demoralize us? Whose side are you on?"

_I only tell you what you need to know._ Mew said, _Don't worry. I'm on your side._

"Whatever." Parker said. He climbed onto Entei, "Win or lose, I'm going to fight until I die protecting humans."

_That's the only thing you can do right now._

Matt climbed onto Raikou. He shot a thought to the legendary dog, _What's up with Mew?_

_He's basically giving you a prediction like a fortune teller would. Mew does that at random points of time._

"I've never heard of that." Matt whispered to himself, he looked at Raikou, _What do you think?_

_I don't think I care. I'm with you guys until the end._

Matt smiled, _Right._

Suddenly, a loud crack came from the void. Matt and Parker's heads snapped towards the swirling vortex to see that it had turned blue, then black again. It expanded a little, causing Matt, Parker, and Mew to take a few steps back with the other pokemon.

"What just happened?" Matt asked.

Mew spoke up, _When The Void turns blue, someone has just passed the trial for entering. It's different for everyone; it was our way of making sure humans wouldn't get inside without proper reason._

"How do you pass your test?" Parker asked.

_You don't give up._ Mew said. _If you do, you will suffer an eternity of torment._

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

Sean saw fire. He saw death, not just of his friends, but of angels. He saw meteors with wings attached to them fall from the ash-colored clouds. He saw the grass beneath him on fire, the sky was blood red. Before him he saw Jordan's decapitated head on a stake, his eyes covered by flies.

He tried to scream, but there was no sound.

He heard a horrid scream and turned to his left and saw Jo being eaten alive by a swarm of locusts. Megan had tried to help, but her bones already lay bare before him. He tried to run to help her, but he couldn't move.

He looked up in agony and saw Julie sitting comfortably on an ashen cloud above him; an aura of evil surrounded her. She was wearing a dark black cloak that went down her ankles; a bright red pentagram lay in the center. She smiled a devilish smile at him and pointed to his feet. He looked down to see that he was standing in a pile of bodies of dead children, innocent faces torn in half and smashed, tiny arms and legs lay around him. He looked in his right hand and saw a bloody scimitar there. He looked up at Julie, she laughed at him.

Had he killed these children?

No!

Sean looked up at Julie. That wasn't her.

He looked forward. That wasn't Jordan's head.

He looked to Jo, that wasn't her.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, finally able to speak, "I SEE THROUGH YOUR ILLUSIONS!" he threw down his scimitar and looked up at Julie, "WHO ARE YOU? REVEAL YOURSELF, DEMON!"

The fake Julie laughed and disappeared. The bodies of the children and his friends did as well. The firey ground beneath him gave way.

He looked down and fell into the abyss.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

The portal glowed blue once again.

"That's two." Matt said. The void expanded even more. Mew was studying it.

Parker walked over to the limp body of Clayton, his evil smile still spread across his face. Parker shuddered. He called out his Vibrava and sat there studying him with it. He looked at his pokemon, it nodded. A small but fast puff of air shot at Clayton, it hit him in the heart.

Nothing happened. Parker checked the man's pulse, there was nothing.

"What just happened?" Matt asked, walking over to Parker.

"I killed Clayton."

"WHAT?" Matt yelled, "You just killed him? How?"

"Vibrava shot a sonic boom at his heart."

_Parker, Clayton is now doomed to an eternity in The Void, you realize that, right?_

"I didn't at the time," Parker said, "But I knew that once he woke up from The Void…if he ever did, that he would only be a problem to us in the future. We would've killed him in the end, I'm sure."

"Parker! That's not right!" Matt yelled, "We can't kill people; that's not our goal! We're trying to save the world and convince it that we're the good guys, going around killing people won't prove that point!"

"Then I guess we're already screwed then, huh?" Parker said, spinning around to face Matt, "All we've been doing this whole time is killing! Guards, pokemon…Mewtwo…you name it, we've killed it at one point. Our path to victory has an effect in which destruction follows in our wake! We can't avoid that!"

Matt stepped back and looked down, "I…"

"You know I'm right, too!" Parker yelled, "We're on the brink of _war_Matt, everyone can tell that! Celebi just got three legends on her side for the price of one! Lugia has probably joined her, too, making it four! Not only that, but we're missing four of the six people needed to win! We have no other choice but to kill whoever tries to impede us! That's what we've been doing all along!"

The portal glowed blue again, it expanded. A red aura began to emit from it.

Mew went over to Matt and Parker, _as much as I'd hate to interrupt this…discussion…it looks like The Void is going to expand! We have to hurry!_

"Hurry and what?" Matt asked. His response was a headbutt from Raikou that threw him on top of the legend's back.

Raikou explained; _Leave! The Void is becoming unstable, it will rapidly expand until it can contain all of the matter inside! It was at a perfect balance until Darkrai, Giratina and Rayquaza broke free of The Void. There was space to fill after they left, but the combined amount of matter of the four and their pokemon is putting The Void over the limit, and as it expands and gets more matter, it will need more and more space to contain it!_

Parker had gotten on Entei after Raikou's explanation. The group sprinted away from The Void, Mew trailing behind them. The two boys saw the army standing there; the Cleansers were surveying the field, and they knew that in the end, none of it mattered. They would all be sucked into The Void.

Matt looked at Mew, "Can you teleport us, by any chance?"

Mew shook his head, _Not by The Void. The only person that can teleport anybody anywhere when they're near The Void is Darkrai, for he uses The Void to teleport. It's complicated, but it was a way to make it harder to escape The Void._

It was at that point, when the group was only a few hundred yards away; that The Void turned blue once more. A loud crack emitted that could be heard for miles away, much like an atom bomb's impact could be felt.

The Void began to expand.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

Jordan woke up.

He could finally see.

Jordan was laying on a marble platform that seemed to float on nothing. He didn't know how high he was, all he could see before him was Kyuubii, still asleep from entering The Void. He pushed himself up, his hands feeling the extreme cold of the marble before him, and straightened up. Now able to see above his pokemon, he could see that he was in fact on a very large marble platform. Jo lay a few feet from him, Megan right next to her. Sean and Julie were asleep right next to Suicune. Around them was nothing but the darkest black anyone could ever imagine.

He noticed that the platform jutted out at a point to his right. We walked over to inspect it and found a spiraling staircase going deeper into The Void. It didn't look like it hand an ending, it seemed to go on forever. He swallowed hard. He looked around, there was no other way out or forward.

Jordan was startled when a pair of hands went around his waist, "Watcha lookin' at?"

Jordan, knowing it was Jo, smiled and put his hands on hers, "This staircase…" he said ominously, a twinge of fear in his voice, "I don't see an end…"

_There isn't one_. Suicune said, walking towards the staircase, _it's the Staircase to Nowhere. We're getting to the bottom._

"I thought you just said there wasn't an end?" Jo said.

_And I stick to my word. There isn't a bottom to the staircase, but there is to The Void, you just have to know when to take a leap of faith and jump off. If you go past the bottom of The Void, you are sucked into a limbo. It's a way to keep intruders out._

"Works for me." Julie said, walking in front of a now-awake Sean, "When do we go down?"

"As soon as Megan…" Sean began, but was interrupted by a loud noise.

"Pika!" Megan cheered, jumping up on Jo's head. Kyuubii was now awake, Jordan was petting her head.

_We walk down, no mounting. Single file. I'll go in front, then it's Jordan, Julie, Jo, and finally Sean. Jo, Megan needs to go into your backpack and Kyuubii needs to go back into her Pokeball, Jordan._

"Got it" Jordan and Jo said at once, their Pokemon returning to their respective places.

_Let's go._ Suicune said, and they began their descent.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

"Watch out!" Yelled Paker as bullets whizzed by Matt, only to be deflected by the wind barrier he had set up.

"Christ." Matt said, "To think that even though The Void is right behind us they're STILL trying to kill us?"

_I don't think they know that it's behind us, even. These buildings provide great cover for The Void._Raikou said.

Sure enough, screams of Black Hand soldiers could be heard behind them.

"Ah, the sweet sounds of victory." Parker said. Matt shook his head.

They had been running for about ten minutes by this point, and there wasn't much to worry about except turning onto the right street. Most traffic was gone by this point and there weren't that many Black Hand soldiers far away from Michigan Avenue. The worst part for the group was to hear the screams of children being sucked into The Void; their innocent voices asking for their parents to help them, only to be answered by a never-ending darkness.

They were so far ahead of The Void at this point that the feeling of urgency had left. The Void expanded slowly but surely, and with Raikou and Entei's lightning-fast speeds, there's no way they would've been sucked in unless they slammed into a wall and were knocked out.

-One Hour Later—

They were two miles from Chicago now, and The Void had stopped expanding. A tired Raikou and Entei dropped to the ground as Matt and Parker got off.

"Thank you" the two boys said to the beasts. They looked back at Chicago.

The city was almost entirely sucked in by The Void.

Parker gulped, "All of those people…"

"All two million of them." Matt said. He shook his head, "Godspeed, Sean, Jordan, Jo and Julie. We need your help."

Mew looked at Mat;_I still have my contact with the military. I'll go check in on them and make arrangements for us to move to another city._

"Right" Matt said, nodding his head.

_Goodbye, then._ Mew said. In a flash, he was gone.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

**A DAY late! I'm so sorry! T.T**

**I didn't even do the Matt and Parker chronicles .**

**That's mainly because I've been so busy; I skipped straight to Driving Hope.**

**Hope you all liked it! I will try at least weekly updates as time allows!**

**Next Chapter: The President Will See You Now**


	2. The President Will See You Now

**Chapter 2: The President Will See You Now**

**PLEASE NOTE: This chapter will include mentions the current president, Barack Obama. However, there will be absolutely NO political messages or ramblings inside here. Obama is seen as a political figure here, but will not be used a tool to spread any sort of liberal or conservative message. He will be showing up in later chapters in the same fashion.**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

The sun refused to shine on Matt and Parker the next morning.

The Void had swallowed the whole of Chicago and the immediate area around it, encompassing 5 miles of extra land. Matt, Parker, Mew, Raikou and Entei had plotted a course for the nation's capitol. They felt the need to speak to the president before he took the matter into his own hands. Mew had planned to teleport to the White House when they woke up the next morning while Matt and Parker scour the area around Chicago for survivors.

Parker woke up first. He checked his watch, 10:43 A.M. It was pretty late, but he attributed the late awakening to the absence of light around him. He looked east to see Chicago completely swallowed by The Void. All two and a half million people, all of the men, women, and children were doomed to The Void until it is closed. They could potentially be stuck in there for years; or eternity if his friends fail their mission. He sighed. It was still dark, and the stars could be seen clearly now that the light pollution given off from Chicago was gone. He looked up and found the Big Dipper. He sighed, standing up with his attention still given to the lights above. He pondered many things one would ponder when looking at the stars, but he pondered something that one wouldn't expect:

Is Deoxys up there?

It was something odd to ponder, but Deoxys did come from space. Could they enlist the help of such a Pokemon? Or was the idea too far-fetched to work?

Parker didn't think about the idea too much, but he kept it in mind. He didn't know of a way to get Deoxys to help, or even to Earth, but it was something worth remembering.

"Already up? It's not even morning yet." Said a tired Matt. He woke up when Parker was staring at the stars.

"It's already eleven, The Void blocked out the sun." Parker said, looking at Matt. Matt nodded, a little disoriented at the fact that he had woken up with the stars still showing in the morning.

"Mew's gone." Matt said. Parker looked around to see that Mew had already left. He didn't notice this when he woke up. He sighed and fell to the ground, grabbing at the grass beneath him and pulling it up mindlessly.

"Should we look for survivors?" Parker asked, "Or is it too early for you?" he chuckled.

"It would be easier if we had a bit of light, but sure." Matt responded while grabbing for his backpack in the darkness. He found it and reached in it, he found a Pokeball and threw it. Raikou appeared in a flash of beautiful white light, the tiger-like Pokemon stretched and yawned.

_It seems The Void is blocking out the sun for miles. We might not see any light until high noon._

"High Noon?" Matt said, "This isn't the middle ages."

_Still a valid term. Let's go._

Parker called out Entei and the small group rode to the immediate area outside The Void.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

There were more survivors then Matt and Parker has suspected. It took them a while of scouring an area of about 3 miles outside The Void, but they found multiple groups of refugees who were waiting for help to arrive. Some people were walking out to the Suburbs, others waited for the Police or the Army to come. Many of the groups denied Matt and Parker's offers for help, saying they already have plans on what to do next. However, the two did manage to get a small group of people to follow them. The group consisted of three people, two of which were very young adults and one being a small girl named Mia. Her parents were named Jessie and James, and they were traveling back into the city when they saw The Void in front of them. Since then their car had broken down and they were traveling on foot aimlessly.

Jessie was 26 years old and had red hair. She was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with frills along the sleeves and a pair of tight jeans. James was 24, brown-haired and wore a solid blue t-shirt with khaki shorts. Mia was only a year and a half old, and her fair hair was still very thin. She was wearing her pajamas from the night before. Jessie and James had gotten on Entei while Parker and Matt were on Raikou. Mia was being held by her mother.

Raikou and Entei ran close so that the group may speak to each other. Parker and Matt took a long time to explain the situation to the adults.

"Oh…" James said, scratching his temple, "So, are you two planning on taking some course of action now while your friends are in The Void?"

"Yeah." Parker said, "Mew's off talking to the president, or so we hope."

"Wait!" Jessie cut in, "You mean the President of the United States of America?"

"No," Matt said, "The president of Lays Potato Chips. YES! Barack Obama."

"Why is it so important to talk to him?" Jessie asked, stroking Mia's hair while trying to keep her calm in her lap, "He's probably not going to listen to you guys, he's the President, and he has the army going out and taking care of the problem. Why would he listen to a couple of kids?"

"Because we have Mew on our side," Parker replied in a harsh tone, "And if he doesn't listen then the whole of the country and eventually the world will be at stake."

"I think I get that," Jessie said, "But the U.S. Army is fighting and undoubtedly the United Nations will help…"

"You don't get it!" Matt said, "These Pokemon are stronger than the United Nations or the U.S. army! They have powers you couldn't imagine!"

"Like what?" Jessie said, "You just told me your whole story, I can imagine their powers fine."

"Look," Parker said, "I don't think the army can withstand a rain of fireballs from a group of fire-types, or a flood from water types. Much less the telepathic power Celebi has."

"Even so, who is to say that Obama won't take Mew as an enemy and try to arrest or kill him? Then you will have created a new enemy." Jessie seemed to be a very smart woman.

"We have to take that risk; otherwise we'll have to take these matters into our own hands." Matt said, "I'm not ready to do that."

James wasn't paying attention when this discussion was going on. He was paying attention to the rolling landscape around him. The highways and the grass looked like a post-apocalyptic mess with cars crashed and no activity going on whatsoever. There were bodies of people who lost their lives while escaping the city littered throughout. It was a depressing sight.

Eventually he got sight of a peculiar image. He saw a three-headed bird running down the Highway a couple hundred yards away from them. It was leaping over cars and squaking. He saw a small flock of these birds behind it, it looked like they were unable to fly.

"Hey, guys…" James said, "Any idea what those things are?"

Mia had seen the Pokemon and exclaimed, "Birdie!"

Matt looked over and identified the Pokemon as Dodrio, "Those are Dodrio. They're flying-types but they can't fly. Instead, they can jump really high, giving the illusion of them flying. I'm not sure if those things are friendly, so we'll pretend not to notice them."

Parker continued to study the small flock of birds. One by one they dispersed and started running around the area outside The Void. It was as if they were looking for something.

"What are they doing?" Jessie asked.

"I don't know…" Matt said, turning to Jessie "It's almost as if…"

"MATT! LOOK!"

Matt turned his head to see a Dodrio jumping over the guard rail of the road to their right and begin to charge them. It started squawking loudly as it rapidly approached them. Soon, Dodrio could be seen coming from every direction, effectively surrounding the group.

"Shit." Parker muttered. "Matt, I think this is the equivalent to a hit squad of Pokemon.

"Agreed." Matt said. "Raikou! Entei! Stop!"

The legends did, and the five dismounted as the Dodrio got closer. The area around them started to look like a brown ball of feathers.

"Why did we stop?" Jessie asked, her face looking a bit hysterical.

"We can't run away from this! We have to fight it!" Parker said. "Entei! Create a wall of fire around them! The Dodrio are here for us, we can't afford them to be endangered.

_If that is what you wish. Fire Spin!_ Entei yelled as a large wall of fire formed around Jessie, James and Mia. _Stay away from the fire and you'll be O.K.! We're going to stop these Dodrio from attacking you!_

"Good luck!" They heard James yell from the inside.

The Dodrio were mere feet away from them when Matt and Parker summoned their swords.

"Let's go!" Yelled Matt, "Raikou, thunder wave!"

Raikou launched a thunder wave at the Dodrio, at the same time Matt conjured a powerful wind that shout out at all of the Dodrio in front of him. The result was the thunder wave spreading over the birds like a blanket and paralyzing all of them.

"It worked!" Matt yelled, Raikou responded by shooting a Thunder attack at the Dodrio, all of them fell over dead.

Parker was busy cutting through the waves of Dodrio that he had no chance of stopping. He and Entei were taking down the Dodrio one by one, blood splattering everywhere. The smell of cooked bird permeated the air.

"Ack!" Parker yelled as he was caught by a peck attack in his neck, "Bastard!" he spun around and tried to chop of the Dodrio's head that bit him, but it was deflected by another bird's beak, knocking Parker off balance. He fell to ground, and immediately he felt claws scratching him, tearing open his clothes and his body.

"HELP!" He screamed right before a Dodrio slashed his right arm.

His cry was responded to with a thunder wave that paralyzed all of the Dodrio that were attacking him, followed by a thunder attack that knocked them all dead. A couple of the dead birds fell on him.

Matt cleared off the dead birds and took Parker's bloodied hand. He helped him to his feet and examined the damage. Parker was covered in cuts and plenty of deep gouges. His shirt was practically gone at this point and one could see that his chest was about to be ripped open, there was a gash leading from the top of it to his belly button. Matt shuddered, "You were pretty beat up. They weren't even on you for that long…"

"It hurts like a bitch, too." Parker said, breathing in sharply. His right arm was basically disabled; the Dodrio had cut some major tendons. He could barely move without feeling like a knife was being stabbed in him ten times in thirty different places.

Entei walked over to Parker and got on his knees, Matt helped his friend onto the Pokemon's back.

_ Sorry I couldn't help. I was in the same situation as you, you seem like you were torn up a lot worse than I was._

"It's alright…" Paker hissed, sounding harsh without meaning to, "You were having just as much trouble as I was."

The wall of fire around the family receded. They gasped at the sight of all of the dead Dodrio. Mia began to cry.

"Mumma! The Burdies are hurted!"

"It's alright, honey," Jessie said, "Those were bad birdies. They were just spanked and were told to take a nap. It's O.K. They'll be alright."

"Really?" Mia asked.

"Yes." Jessie said in a soothing tone.

Mia's sobs stopped slowly, although every now and then you could hear a choke of sadness come out of her mouth. She obviously didn't know the Dodrio's intentions.

"That was incredible," said James, "Parker, we have to get you to a hospital quickly!" Parker's wounds had started to bleed profusely, which James responded to by tearing off his shirt and ripping it to pieces to cover them up and apply pressure. Parker yelled in pain whenever he applied a new strip of clothing to his wounds.

"Until you get to a doctor, you need to keep this on, no matter how bloodied they get." James said. Parker nodded.

It was just then that Mew appeared in front of them.

_There you are! _The pink Pokemon said, floating freely in the air. Jessie screamed when the Pokemon appeared so suddenly, making Mia cry again.

"Wha…what is that?" Jessie stuttered, holding Mia close as if to protect her.

_I'm not "that". _Mew said, turning to Mia and floating down to her to get in her face, _I'm Mew, the King of Pokemon, and I'm here to help humanity defeat Celebi and her spiteful army. Show me some respect, lady!_

Jessie stopped and stuttered, "I…I…"

Mew smiled, _Just kidding! I just wanted to mess with you. It's nice to meet you! _Mew spun in the air playfully, making Mia laugh.

Mew turned to Matt and Parker, _Parker, you look torn up. I'm teleporting you to a hospital._

"Fine with me." Parker said.

_And you, _Mew said, turning to the family, _You three will be coming with us to D.C. I need witnesses vouching for me saying that I'm working for humans. Matt and Parker aren't enough, and seeing the scene here…_Mew gestured to the Dodrio, _It seems that I have proof enough._

"Didn't we have the army fighting with us?" Matt asked.

_The President didn't know of us, and the Army's captains are M.I.A. We need further proof, you humans are weird, keeping operations secret from your President._

"It wasn't my idea, that's for sure." Matt said, "Are we leaving now?"

_Yes. In fact, the president will see you now, if you wish._

"Let's go." Parker said impatiently.

_To Washington, D.C.!_

In a flash, they were gone.


	3. Tyrants

**3****rd**** Chapter, I'd like to see some more reviews! Thanks!**

**I'd like to announce that starting with Chapter 4 I will be getting this story beta-read by The Chosen Pessimist. This is for accidental grammar errors (I tend to miss some things) and to clean up fight scenes (AKA Less confusion). Thank you for choosing to beta my story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters mentioned in this chapter**

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Chapter 3: Tyrants**

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

The marble staircase did go on forever, it seemed. The only thing that could be heard in The Void at the time were the sounds of the footsteps of the four. Suicune was leading the way, and they all had to trust that he would stop at the right place.

It was a peculiar feeling, going down this staircase. First off, besides it going to nowhere, it wasn't supported by anything; it seemed to float steadily in The Void as the four descended the pure white steps. Not only this, but the whole atmosphere felt empty. Something was off, but that was to be expected. The Void is not like the human world, nothing is the same.

Sean was the most unnerved by the feeling of emptiness. He was always afraid of the concept of going into space, and this had the same effect. He didn't like the idea of space being a never-ending vacuum of no air and death; he felt The Void was the same. The only difference here was that he could breathe and wasn't being sucked in by any kind of vacuum. He rather felt that a vacuum would randomly open and doom him into the torment The Void so openly promised.

After many hours of walking, Suicune spoke up, _there's something you all must know about this dimension._

"That is?" Jo asked.

_It is ruled by Tyrants, there are twelve of them. You see, throughout time the world has seen many purely evil people, so we Pokemon had decided to seal them off in The Void when the time came, and wiped the memories of them from the people's minds. The problem was, as we soon found out, that these evil people used the power of The Void to strengthen themselves into unimaginable forms and granted them powers unlike that we have seen before. I'm sure you've heard of them._

"Who are they?" Julie asked.

_I will name them in the order they were sealed, Garland, The Emperor, The Cloud of Darkness, Golbez, Exdeath, Kefka, Sephiroth, Ultimecia, Kuja, Jecht, Vayne, and Orphan._

"Wait!" yelled Sean, stopping in his tracks, "Those are all of the main villains from 12 Final Fantasy games! What's going on?"

_You see,_ Suicune began, _the same man who discovered the Pokemon discovered the existence of these wretched people. As you know, the Final Fantasy and Pokemon series all had their roots in Nintendo. This is how the head of Squaresoft at the time met the head of GameFreak. Thus began project ideas, and so did creative licensing. The head of GameFreak decided to sell the ideas of these Tyrants to Squaresoft as his own. Squaresoft bought them and made games based off of them. _

"This is all very interesting, but…" Julie began, "What are the chances we'll meet these Tyrants?"

_They all know we're here now. My guess is that we'll meet one as soon as we get off of the staircase._

"WHAT?" Sean yelled, his voice cracking, "We have to fight THOSE guys? That's crazy! They're hard enough in the games, but what this is for REAL. The Cloud of Darkness' particle beam, Sephiroth's Supernova, Orphan's Retribution…" Sean continued to list the devastating attacks of Kefka and Golbez before Suicune interrupted the nervous teenager.

_Look! We have no choice but to fight them, and you've played against them in video games! You know exactly what to expect and how to handle and counter all of it, correct?_

"Well," Jo said, "Some of them we do, but there are some final bosses that were too hard to beat normally, like the Cloud of Darkness…"

"Don't remind me." Sean said, "That particle beam…"

_The how would you beat them? _Suicune asked.

"Cheats. I used an Action Replay to max out my character's levels in Final Fantasy III." Sean said casually, "Seriously, that Particle Beam was a BITCH!"

_…do humans cheat on everything?_

"I don't." Jordan said, "I beat Final Fantasy IV without cheat codes. It was hard, but I did it."

_Cheating or not, you do know what to expect, correct?_

"I guess…" Sean said, rubbing his arms nervously.

_We'll just have to give it our all. We can't turn back, and you all know what's at stake here._

The four nodded with painful expressions on their faces.

_Good. Now, we're getting close to the point of no return, so get ready._

"I thought the point of no return was around five-thousand steps ago…" Jordan mumbled.

They continued, thoughts of the Tyrants racing through their minds. Nobody was as worried as Sean, though. All of them had played a Final Fantasy game, but they weren't Jordan's cup of tea, Julie doesn't play games much, and Jo had only played Final Fantasy X and III. He had played most of the games and only beat three of them without cheat codes. This was the reason that he was nervous, if he couldn't beat them in a game, how could he beat them for real? This was a problem that tore at him the whole way down the steps until Julie stopped in front of him, causing Sean to stop abruptly.

"I know you're worried." She whispered, making sure nobody could hear her except Sean. "Which one are you most worried about?"

Sean took a second to give his answer, what if the Tyrants were listening right now? Could they possibly be looking to send out the one he fears most?

"Sephiroth." He responded, his voice shaking.

Julie continued after she got her answer. She said no more.

A confused Sean stumbled after Julie down the staircase. Why in the world did she ask him that and not give a response? Something was up.

They continued walking forward until Suicune came to a complete halt. This startled Jordan and Jo, causing them to stumble a bit on the narrow steps. Sean held his breath for a split second before they got their balance back.

_We're here._

At that moment, Julie let out a loud sigh of an unbeknownst nature and fell forward, right into Jo's back, who then fell into Jordan, who then fell into Suicune, who at that point knew that the three were falling like dominos and caught them all on his back sturdily.

Sean quickly got down to the pile up and pulled off the unconscious Julie, Jordan and Jo were then freed and got onto separate steps as Sean tended to his unconscious girlfriend.

"Julie!" He yelled, "Are you alright?" He started to sweat nervously as he tried to shake her awake. He received no response.

"What just happened?" Jo asked quickly, the words almost being lost in her fast manner of nervous-speak.

Suicune thought for a moment, _I don't know everything about The Void, but my guess is something happened that her body couldn't handle and caused her to collapse._

Sean checked her pulse, it was normal. He let out sigh of relief. "Still, this was very sudden. Wouldn't the body give signs to the victim before collapsing?"

"Actually," Jordan said, "Sometimes people can randomly black out before they know it. A lot of seizures are like that, people just fall to the ground and the next thing they know they're in the hospital surrounded by flowers and a family member. They're given medication and are perfectly fine afterwards."

"He's got a point," Jo said, "Did Julie ever tell you of a pre-existing medical condition? Maybe that could be the cause of it."

"No." Sean said plainly, "I think she would've told all of us if she had one."

_I don't think seizures need pre-existing conditions to happen. They just happen sometimes._

"Whatever," Sean said, "The important thing here is that we keep her safe."

_Right. We're where we need to be, anyway. I need you all to follow me. _

"Where?" Jordan asked, "The staircase still only goes in one direction, and I don't see anything indicating a path to get off here.

_You're right. The staircase still goes downward, and there isn't a path to get off of here. Just follow me._

"Okay…" Sean said nervously, "Why do I have a feeling that this isn't going to be easy?" Jo gulped.

_It's not hard; you just have to trust me._ Suicune said,he turned to face the three and smiled deviously, _ready to take a leap of faith?_

"I don't like how that sounds…" Jordan said. At that instant Jo let out a piercing scream as Suicune launched himself off of the staircase, jumping to their right and plummeting into the abyss below.

"Suicune!" Jo shrieked, "He's gone! We're lost! We're doomed!"

Sean was left in shock, his face locked in a blank expression. Jordan shrugged and took Julie from a zoned-out Sean. He held her legs in his right hand and her head in his left.

"See ya!" Jordan yelled as he jumped after Suicune, his body being swallowed by darkness as he fell.

"JORDAN!" Jo screamed, "What's happening? How in the world will we continue without Julie and Jordan now?" She looked at Sean, who had woken up from his shock and was now wearing a panicked expression.

"I think we just have to follow them…" Sean said.

"WHAT?" Jo screamed. She ran to Sean's step above her, "Are you CRAZY? We can't just jump into The Void! We have no idea what's down there! We could die as soon as we get off the stair-"

"JO!" Sean yelled, grabbing her shoulders, "Get a hold of yourself! I'm going to jump, you have to decided if you're coming with me or not NOW."

Jo broke free from his grasp and crossed her arms, "I'm not going."

Sean sighed, "I guess I have to make the decision for you, then." He took a deep breath and looked Jo in the eyes. She began to back up.

"Sean, what are you plan-" The rest of her sentence was lost in a scream as she was tackled off of the staircase, Sean holding onto her in a death grip as they plummeted into The Void after Jordan, Julie, and Suicune.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

**Sorry for the delay AND the short chapter. You see, school started and so did my clubs and such. **

** The shortness of the chapter was mostly due to the ending of the last sequence, it just seemed right. **

**Next Chapter: Wishmaster**


	4. Wishmaster

**Chapter 4:**

**Wishmaster**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

_Master!  
Apprentice!  
Heartborne, 7th Seeker  
Warrior!  
Disciple!  
In me the Wishmaster_

_-Nightwish_

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"Are you Mr. Matthew?" The resounding voice came from behind the velvet chair, spun around its back faced Matt.

"I am, you wished to see me, sir?" Matt responded, his voice strong and confident, ready to confront whoever sat in that chair in front of him. The large windows behind the chair gave a wonderful view of the garden that lay outside; bright yellows could be seen bursting in through the windows, taking the splendor of the sun's rays away without any effort. It was a beautiful garden.

"Please." The voice said from behind the chair, "Call me Obama."

With that, the president of the United States spun his chair around to face Matt. Matt wasn't a fan of the president due to his values, but he was still embarrassed to present himself the way he was. His shirt had multiple holes in it; bare skin with scabs littered throughout was exposed. His face, arms and legs were covered with dirt, grime, and the occasional blood smear. He wished Mew would've teleported him into a new set of clothes before teleporting him into the office of the President.

"You seem as if you've been through quite a bit," Obama began, "What happened, exactly?"

"Well," Matt began, his voice still confident, "You see…"

And so began Matt relaying his entire story for what seemed like the hundredth time. Seriously, he should just write a book about it and tell people to read it when they ask, "What happened?". After about ten minutes or so (he gave the condensed version) the whole of his story had been relayed to Barack Obama.

Obama's face contorted, his nose crinkled as he thought of a response to Matt's long and strange journey. Matt's heart began to race as the man contemplated what to do next, he had hoped he sounded convincing. Not that he was lying; Matt just knew his story was so far-fetched that it would be hard to believe.

"May I see one of these Pokemon, Matthew?" asked Obama.

"Sure," Matt said, pulling out a Pokeball, "He's a little tired, so try not to give him a reason to faint on the floor." Obama nodded.

"Go! Golem!" Matt yelled, tossing the Pokeball in front of him so that the mass of rock would appear in front of the President's desk. Obama was surprised when he saw the Pokemon, which was essentially a boulder with arms and legs. He got up and paced around the Pokemon.

"This is your partner?"

"Yes."

"I see…" The President put his hand to his chin, "And I'm to believe that this thing can potentially destroy my country?"

Matt's heart sank, _no way._ He thought, _he didn't believe me!_

Matt stepped forward, "Sir, you realize that Golem is MY partner and works for us, right?"

"I do," Obama said, shooting a glance at Matt, looking him straight in the eyes, "But I'm to expect a group of these things could destroy America?"

"NO!" Matt said, his voice cracking a bit. "There are more than one type of Pokemon, you've seen Mew!"

"Yes, I know." Obama said, "But, for example, let's say we fought an army of Golems. We could easily blow them up with a couple of bombs and whatnot. I'm sure some rocket artillery would be just as effective. I don't believe any Pokemon can stand up to the army."

"I thought you were willing to help?" Matt asked, "You DO know what happened to Chicago, right?"

"I do." Obama said, "I made a national address because of it. But you said it yourself; a human organization caused The Void to open."

"With the HELP of Pokemon!" Matt yelled, his foot stomping, "What's wrong with you? Why do you refuse to listen and protect your country?"

"Because, Matt," Obama began, "First of all, I have enough to worry about with Chicago's being gone. Our economy is going to take a serious blow. Not only that, but I have to deal with the existence of Pokemon, and just because Mew says he's working with you, how do you know that's true?"

"What?" Matt asked, his voice softening.

"Matt," Obama said, his voice now stern, "Are you familiar with the phrase, 'Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me?"

"I am." Matt said.

"Who's to say that Mew won't turn on you in the end? What if Celebi and Mew are working together secretly, or Mew is getting you guys to get rid of Celebi so his own take over will be easier?"

"I…" Matt struggled for an answer, but none could be found.

"You have to be a realist in this situation, Matt. I'm sorry, but I do not have enough evidence to pledge the army's help to your cause. It's not my department anyway. If something else happens, the army I'm sure will intervene."

Matt grunted, "You helped us in Chicago!"

"That was the Illinois National Guard. And we lost all of those men in that battle."

"Mr. President!" Matt yelled, practically screaming now, "You're telling me you're just going to WAIT for something to happen? Do you CARE about America?"

"Matt, of course I do. I'm the president. I don't see a definitive course of action right now. You can fight your own fight, but as of now I stand by my decision."

Matt turned around and headed for the door as he called Golem back silently. As he grabbed the handle, Obama said one more thing;

"Why are you fighting?"

Matt turned his head and looked the man in the eyes, "I've seen Celebi kill children. I guess you have to see that too before you decide I'm right."

And with that, Matt opened the door and left.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

The Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom again. It was here that Mew, Entei, and Raikou stood, under a cluster of the pink-petal trees. The petals were falling due to the high winds of the day, but most stood their ground on the tree. It created a very surreal sight. Entei and Raikou were laying under trees around him, creating a triangle of pokemon.

Mew lay under one of the trees, looking straight up through the pink,

_Beautiful. I can't believe we missed all of this when we were sealed._

Entei nodded, _it really is amazing. _The pokemon sighed, _I hope that we won't have to be sealed away again. I can't stay away from this kind of wonder forever…_

_ We won't._ Raikou said, _This is it. What we do here, during this war, will decide what the fate of the Pokemon are. _

_ We could fail, or we could survive and live in peace with the humans. _Mew said. He smiled, _It's great that we have such reliable humans._

_ Not only that,_ said Entei, _but they're young. Every revolution in history has started with the youth, and this one will be no _different_. I'm sure we will generate quite the following._

_ This isn't a cult, _Raikou said, _we aren't preaching religion; we're preaching views and politics. This is something we're going to generate a lot of enemies from. I'm sure we will generate plenty of people who support us, but we need an army big enough to combat four fronts. This might be a problem._

Suddenly, a warm and glorious light appeared in the middle of the triangle.

_Long time no see, friends._

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Matt stepped out onto the sidewalk outside the gates of the White House. D.C. was a curious place; all of the buildings were exactly the same height, and exactly the same distance apart from each other. This was supposedly due to the fact that if a terrorist group targeted the White House, it would be hard to spot from above because all of the buildings look the same in terms of height. This was before radar tracking, of course, but when the mandate for the buildings was issued it worked very well.

He encountered Jessie and James on his way out. They looked confused.

"Weren't we supposed to help?" Asked Jessie.

"Sorry…" Matt said with a sigh, "Obama refuses to help."

James grunted, "Well, good luck, then! Can we help in any way?"

Matt smiled and looked James in the eye, "Support us. Tell your story, get our word out. We need as much help as possible."

James smiled, "Will do."

And with that, the couple walked away, waving goodbye to Matt. Matt smiled and waved back as he walked blindly along the sidewalk.

D.C. was static, a lot of the same buildings without much structural difference. This was fine, it was just a little strange when he was used to a city like Chicago. He missed Entei; so he pulled out his Pokeballs.

"Golem! Hitmonchan!"

In two bright flashes of light the Pokemon appeared, smiling when they saw Matt.

"Let's take a wa…" Matt was interrupted by a bright flash of light in front of him

_Matt!_

A familiar voice rang in his head, he shielded his eyes from the light with his hand until it cleared, and Jirachi was floating there.

"Jirachi!" Matt yelled as the pokemon tackled him to the ground. He smiled as he embraced the small legend. Jirachi had helped Matt and Parker a lot when they were awakening Raikou and Entei. He was glad to see him again.

_It's been a while, Matt._

"Only a few days, Jirachi". Matt said as he stood back up, his Pokemon now scrambling to to show their excitement to see Jirachi once again.

_Too long in a time like this. Look, Mew, Entei, Raikou and I decided that Celebi most likely has spies out and knows where we are. We think Celebi is going to attack D.C. next._

"WHAT?" Matt yelled, causing his pokemon to jump, "You've GOT to be kidding me! The President just told me he can't help!"

_Be as it may, we HAVE to get ready. Parker is still in the hospital, no?_

"He is."

_We have to get there as soon as possible! He may be in trouble, I'll perform Wish on him so he can be healed quickly. Let's go!_

I_I_I_I_I_I

While Celebi and Matt were having their conversation, the lights went out in the hospital.

"DAMN IT!" Parker yelled as he slammed his fist on the table beside him. The morphine was wearing off and he needed another shot of it so he wasn't in excruciating pain from having his muscles repaired. With the power off, he couldn't activate the machine that gave it to him every 2 hours.

The room wasn't pitch-black; the sun was still shining bright through the windows onto Parker's bed. He sighed. The hospital had taken all of his belongings and put them somewhere, meaning he didn't have his pokeballs.

He closed his eyes in his hospital bed for a moment and listened. There wasn't anything in his room to listen to except the now-absent hum of the machine, or the now-absent noise of the T.V. The only other things in his room were a sink before him (that he couldn't get to because it hurt to move) and a table on the other side of his bed. He was bored and frustrated.

He heard a few footsteps enter the room. Thinking it was a nurse checking on him, he just sat there and thought nothing of it.

A couple minutes later, he heard the footsteps again, this time right in front of his bed. He began to get scared, no nurse would take this long to see if he's sleeping or not, so he opened his eyes.

Nothing was there.

Now Parker was scared, he was sure he heard footsteps. They obviously weren't in front of him, but they did exist. _Where were they coming from?_

Suddenly his answer came from in front of his bed.

"KECLIIIII!"

Parker heard a scream in front of him; he instinctively summoned his sword as his cloaked attacker jumped at him, who Parker now realized was a Kecleon. He covered his head when he suddenly heard a sizzling sound followed by a scream from the Kecleon. He looked over and saw it writing at the base of his bed, its arms singed.

Parker fired a ball of light at it; he missed as the Kecleon jumped over it swiftly. The pokemon lunged again, but once it hit the sunlight that surrounded Parker it was bounced back and burned.

Parker was confused at first, but he suddenly got what was going on, _my power is light, so it looks like when my sword is drawn in sunlight, it will protect me from harm!_

The Kecleon jumped off of Parker's bed and clung to the ceiling. It looked down on Parker with a look of malice. It couldn't find a way to kill its target.

Suddenly Parker heard another set of steps, and saw the blinds around his window close, effectively keeping the sunlight out of the room, and off of Parker.

Another Kecleon shot its tongue at Parker from the window. Parker raised his sword just in time for its tongue to wrap around it and cut itself. The Kecleon screamed in pain as it withdrew its tongue.

The Kecleon above Parker screamed as he tried to pounce on the boy, but Parker was wise to its actions, so he shot a ball of light straight up at it, effectively knocking it back into the ceiling and onto the ground next to the other Kecleon.  
Parker heaved in his next few breaths, he was already low on energy and the use of his power did not help in the slightest.

Suddenly Parker felt himself being lifted off his bed, and soon found himself across the room in a heap on the floor. Two more Kecleon had come in and thrown him off his bed.

"SHIT!" Parker screamed as he heard the breathing of the two Kecleon now charging at him. He drew his sword and fired a ball of light at the curtains blocking the sun, effectively knocking them off the wall and sending sunlight pouring into the room again. The Sunlight landed right in front of Parker right as the two Kecleon had run under it, the two Pokemon disintegrated instantly.

"Anybody else?" Parker yelled in an exhausted voice. He sat there and waited for another pair of assassin Pokemon to come in and attack him, but instead a bright flash of light appeared before him.

_Parker! Let's go!_

I_I_I_I_I_I_I


	5. The One Winged Angel

**The flow of chapters will be choppy, sorry! Reviews are ENCOURAGING, but with school going as it is, it's going to be hard to keep the chapters coming as constant a pace as I would like. I will try one chapter every week. **

**HOWEVER, as I'm sure you all know, November 1****st****-30****th**** are the official dates for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month). If I don't post a chapter during those dates, THAT MEANS I AM ON HIATUS. I WILL be coming back after that month. I will try my best to write at least one or two chapters in November, but I'm going to try to write 2,000 words a day for the NaNo. **

**Alright, without further ado *ahem* chapter 5!**

**I DO NOT OWN SEPHIROTH OR FFVII. **

**Chapter 5: The One-Winged Angel**

_Estuans interius_

_Ira vehementi_

_Estuans interius_

_Ira interius_

_Ira vehementi_

_Sephiroth!_

_Sephiroth!_

_-Nobuo Uetemasu_

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Julie woke up on Suicune's back; her hands were wrapped around the thick neck of the legend.

_You're awake!_

Even though Suicune was carrying her, Julie felt uneasy. She had no idea why she was on the pokemon in the first place. She looked around and saw Sean, Jo, and Jordan all examining the area around them. Suicune was standing over a pool of green-looking liquid, which resided in a crater embedded in dark brown stone. They were completely surrounded by a large stone wall, which Sean, Jo, and Jordan were examining, presumably trying to find a break in it.

"H…how did I, I mean, we, get here?" Julie asked.

_You swooned. Sean said you were acting weird before you did, what do you remember last?_

Julie thought for a second, right when she did a massive headache took over, it was familiar. She had felt this pain before.

"This headache!" Julie yelled, "I remember this last…AH!"

Julie let out a shriek, she sat straight up and grabbed her forehead, "No, stay out! STAY OUT!" She started to shake her head violently.

Sean, Jordan and Jo sprinted over to Julie, Megan jumping out of Jo's backpack. Jo hugged the writhing Julie.

"Stay away from her!" Jo yelled, "LEAVE JULIE ALONE!"

Sean and Jordan joined the embrace.

"Whatever this is Julie, fight it! We're here for you!" Sean yelled.

Julie let out a piercing cry as her friends held her tight. After that she stopped shaking and collapsed, her three friends supporting her.

"I think she fought off whatever had her…" Sean said.

Jordan broke the embrace and walked over to the pool of green liquid, he scooped some up into the palms of his hands. He splashed it into Julie's face. She woke up instantly.

"Th…thanks guys." Julie said, motioning for everyone to back away as she stepped off of Suicune. "There was some kind of presence, I could feel it in my brain, and it was trying to take over…"

"That's what it was," Sean said, he looked at Julie, "You were being controlled. When we were on the steps you asked me which villain I was most afraid of."

"What was your answer?" Jo asked.

"I said Sephi…" Sean began; his talking was interrupted by a menacing laugh emanating from the green pool of liquid. The liquid erupted into a large geyser that seemed to flow forever into the void above them.

Sean considered this, "Let's go!" He yelled as he leaped into the geyser, immediately shot up to wherever it led.

Jordan and Jo looked at Suicune (who still had Julie on his back), he nodded back and the four leaped into the geyser after Sean.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

The liquid was _freezing. _Obviously below the freezing point, Sean thought, which meant it should have frozen, but since he was in The Void, anything was possible. He spun in circles, his body in full control of the rocketing geyser, which seemed to have no control over everything.

He was in the geyser for little less than a minute before he was spat out onto the rock above. The stone was a dark black, almost taking an onyx-like appearance, which now was tainted with a bit of red that came from Sean's blood when he slammed onto his, his knees being torn up.

"Shit!" Sean yelled loudly as he stood back up and looked as the geyser, his friends just now being shot out. All of them let out a cry of pain as they hit the black stone below them, except Suicune, who, now separated from Julie, gracefully landed on the stone.

_That was convenient._

Sean grunted, "Not a bad idea, huh?"

"Yeah, well," Jordan began as he walked towards Sean, his elbows bleeding, "maybe we should consider the idea of rocks being at where we land next time."

"Duly noted." Sean said. He began to look around, "I swear I heard a laugh before the geyser…"

He was interrupted by screams from Julie and Jo, who had landed on the opposite side of the still-flowing geyser.

"Go!" Jordan yelled as he, Sean and Suicune split, going around the geyser to see what was going on. Upon reaching the other side they saw Julie and Jo with their weapons in hand, and Sephiroth floating right in front of them.

"Did you enjoy the ride?" The one-winged angel asked in a sarcastic tone.

"It was you!" Julie yelled, "You infiltrated my head!"

"I did." Said Sephiroth, "And I now know that your leader, Sean, will be easily felled by me, for he is penetrated with fear when upon the sight of me!"

Sean had just happened upon the scene, sword in hand, when he heard this. He grunted, "Bullshit." He said, "You just happened to be the easiest final boss in any Final Fantasy game. I knew when Julie asked me who I was most afraid of that it was a trap, so I just told her who I was least afraid of."

Jordan looked at Sean, confused, "You mean…"

Sean smiled, "Sephiroth is too easy."

This made the enemy angry; he unsheathed his seven-foot long masamune and pointed it at Sean's heart, "I will teach you to fear me with the fear I thought you had!"

"Good luck." Sean said, drawing his double daggers and with two pokeballs in hand, "Let's go! Blade! Lunar!"

At that moment Sephiroth tried to slice Sean in half, but was intercepted at the same second by his Scyther's strong blades, blocking Sean's body in an "X" shape.

"Let's beat this bastard!" Julie yelled, and at that moment everybody split to do their own thing.

"Great job, Blade!" Sean yelled as the pokemon threw back Sephiroth's blade. "Lunar, shadow ball!"

His Umbreon shot a glob of shadow at Sephiroth, who sliced it in half with his blade.

"You fool! Do you believe that such a petty move could defeat me, a master of the darkness?" At that moment Sean saw a hint of purple appear in front of him. He called back his pokemon and jumped backwards right as a dark fire erupted in front of him, burning part of the front of his shirt and hurling him into the ground beneath him.

"Sh…shadow…flare…" Sean said through gritted teeth. Sephiroth laughed.

"Now you have a taste of what I can do!" He flew above the cringing Sean, hovering right above him and pointing his masamune at his heart. "It's too bad you won't see the full extent of my power!"

"PIKA!"

As Sephiroth thrust down his sword, Megan tackled him in the side, effectively causing him to lose grip on the sword and making him drop it right next to Sean. Jo ran up to him, her brass knuckles around her fists, and pulled him up.

"Close call." She said.

"WATCH IT!" Sean yelled as he shoved her away, causing her to dodge a fireball attack. They turned to see Megan fleeing back to Jo, and Sephiroth's sword returning to his hands.

"Cute," The angel said as he thrust his sword into the ground, "But let's see how well you two can handle THIS!" A tremor burst through the stone beneath them and a crack formed in-between Sean and Jo; it quickly made a large gap between them, effectively cutting them off through the use of a giant fissure.

Suicune ran to Jo's side as Julie and Jordan appeared by Sean's.

"Now you are all separated!" Sephiroth said, laughing, "You are doomed to die!" He rushed at Jo, swinging his mighty sword at her. She thrust her fists at it, her brass knuckles making contact with the metal long before the sword could hit her. A loud CLANG emanated from the contact.

"How…" Sephiroth began, but was cut off by a thunderbolt that surged through his sword and into him, sending him rocketing onto the other side of the fissure.

_Great job, Jo! _Suicune said, _Can you repair this fissure? We need to get back together!_

"It'll take me a bit, but I can." Jo sat on the stone beneath her and concentrated, closing her eyes to close out all other distractions, and slowly the stone beneath her began to move.

Meanwhile, Sean, Julie and Jordan were busy fighting Sephiroth, who had recovered from Megan's attack and was now clashing with Julie, her staff desperately trying to withstand his sword.

"You can't beat us…" Julie panted as she tried to force Sephiroth's sword back, "We're too strong and have come too far to die here!"

Water surged around Julie's body and was launched at Sephiroth; who merely flew back and froze the water before it hit him.

"You aren't to interfere with us and our plans for The Void!" He yelled as the ice before him broke and turned into needles, "I have no choice but to eliminate you all here!" The needles launched at Julie, but were instantly melted by the fire from Kyuubii, who leapt in front of her to block the attack. Jordan was perched on his pokemon's back.

"You aren't to interfere with our plans to help our world!" Jordan yelled, jumping off of Kyuubii's back with his pole in his hand, "We're going to eliminate YOU!"

His pole and Sephiroth's sword clashed in the air, Sephiroth thrusting his sword downwards to knock Jordan to the ground. He pointed the masamune at Jordan's neck, "Die!"

"No!" Sean yelled as he tackled Sephiroth; the angel once again losing his sword to the same trick.

Jordan lept onto his feet, and he and Julie together picked up the heavy masamune, both of them having the same idea in mind. The fissure between them and Jo was almost closed, so they both launched the sword into it, sending it into the abyss right before the ground closed beneath them.

Sean was wrestling with Sephiroth, him using his powers of electricity to help him keep the angel at bay.

"My masamune!" Sephiroth yelled as he watched his sword fall into the abyss below.

"You're done, Sephiroth!" Sean yelled, now having Sephiroth pinned and his dagger at his neck, "Give it up, now!"

The angel just laughed as he glowed a dark black, "Fool…" Sean was sent flying off Sephiroth by an unknown force, landing right before his friends, now re-united.

Sephiroth floated above them, only about twenty feet away.

"You have impressed me…" said the angel, "But now experience my ultimate attack…SUPERNOVA!"

Sean's pupils dilated, "Take cover!"

The four drew their swords and created barriers with their respective elements as a large explosion erupted in front of them, Suicune's ice also trying to suppress the attack.

The world went white for a split second, but it was soon known that the friends survived the attack. Their barriers had protected them from the full force of the attack.

As the dust that arose cleared, Sephiroth knew that his attack didn't work. At that moment he knew he was defeated.

"But…how…" he muttered as he fell to the ground in a very dramatic fashion.

Suicune walked in front of him, "Together, these four are unstoppable." And at that point, a combined elemental attack burst forth from the friends, missing Suicune and hitting Sephiroth dead-on. When the attack ended, there was nothing to be seen of the One-Winged Angel.

"We did it!" Sean yelled, high-fiving his friends, "I can't believe it!"

"I thought you said you were the least afraid of him?" Julie asked.

"I was." Sean replied in a satisfied tone, "That doesn't mean I wasn't afraid."

"Oh," Jordan said, "Good. Because I feel a wet spot and I'm not sure that was from the liquid we jumped into."

"That wasn't liquid, we didn't get wet." Jo said.

"It was the lifestream." Sean replied, "I think there's a lot more truth to Final Fantasy games than what we can see."

_We can discuss those things later._ Suicune said, now in front of the group, _for now, we have to continue. I'll lead._

And together, the group followed Suicune into the blackness before them, venturing across the seemingly endless stone land below them.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Fun Fact: I actually find Sephiroth to be the most overrated FF villain, simply because he was so easy to beat. However, I DID listen to One-Winged Angel while writing this, it was really fun.**

**I hope you liked it! PLEASE REVIEW! I miss those.**


	6. Shadows of the Past

**Been a while, SORRY! NaNoWriMo, school…etc etc etc. I'm sorry! I split this chapter into three parts because it was going to be far too long-winded if I wrote the original length. **

**ENJOY!**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Chapter 6: Shadows of the Past**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Mew looked out from atop the Washington Monument, it was the highest point in D.C., and you could see the whole city from the observation point. Mew was floating right above its tip, a guardian of the nation's capitol.

The legend was watching for a sign, a sign that Celebi's attack would soon be upon them. It had been realized at his last meeting with Raikou, Entei, and Jirachi that the forthcoming attack was inevitable, and they had to be ready at all times.

This was a problem, however. All of their allies were sucked into The Void in Chicago, so they were again alone in their fight. It was more than likely that Celebi would send in an army with the intention of taking out the capitol and therefore demoralizing America. Without any help from the National Guard, this battle was going to be rough.

This is the reason why Jirachi, Matt and Parker set out to recruit as many Pokemon to join them as possible. Jirachi could sense where they resided, and it was up to the boys and their Pokemon to convince them to join their ranks.

Mew had brought up the topic to Jirachi of possibly getting more teenagers into the fight by giving them Pokemon. Jirachi was against the idea of doing so right away, saying that the six they had now were a lot to handle. Even though it would be up to them to save the world from whatever forces attempt to disrupt it, the legends that joined them on their journey had to keep an eye on them.

Mew sighed, _if only Pokemon had the willpower humans do. If that was so, we wouldn't be ruining these six lives._

Mew wondered if an eternal war will spark between humans and Pokemon. Some humans would see Pokemon as a virus, like HIV, since it was discovered, humanity had been fighting it. Some people think this "war" on HIV will happen for the rest of the Earth's existence.

What if this war never ended?

Mew thought for a moment and then nodded his head.

_This battle will be the decisive battle. The fate of Pokemon and Humans will be decided here. We must win this battle._

Mew looked up towards the sky. It was blue.

_Anything but black…please._

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"Got one!" Parker's voice echoed through Matt's ear, "I got a Shieldon on our side!"

"Shieldon?" Matt said into his earpiece, "Where did you find that?"

"There was one just walking around the city. It was quite unsual." Parker said.

_Pokemon aren't used to the world they've returned to. _Raikou told Matt, _It's not surprising he found one where he did._

"They must be confused." Matt said, sighing, "I feel bad for them."

Matt and Entei were sprinting down a plain; apparently Jirachi spotted a colony of Furret that resided out there. The flat, green landscape seemed to stretch on forever. Matt told Parker about the Pokemon, who was quite jealous. Furret was one of Parker's favorite Pokemon.

Matt saw some black spots appear in the ground, "Entei!" He yelled, "I see holes! Lots of them! The Furret must be here!"

_A baboon could see that, Matt._ Entei said. He stopped abruptly, throwing Matt off of the beast and into the ground in front of him.

"Shit!" Matt yelled, "What was that for?" He groaned as he sat up, holding his sore neck.

_Look!_

Matt looked in front of him, a small group of baby Furret were playing in front of him. The little pokemon were tumbling over each other in good-natured fun. Matt smiled, "Aww."

_Their parents are close. I'll go speak to them. Watch the babies._

As Entei turned away, the sky turned and inky black. A chill was sent down Matt's spine. Was this because of Celebi? The sky reminded him of The Void. It was a never ending blackness that looked like it would suck you in if you stared at it for too long. Matt looked away.

Matt's attention was now completely focused on the baby pokemon. As he gazed on at the innocent fluff balls he couldn't help but remember what Pokemon used to be, a game. They were something you collected and played with friends with, not fought wars with.

That wasn't completely true. He had fought a makeshift war with Pokemon; but it was all in good fun and wasn't real. He and a group of 10 middle school kids broke up into teams of 2 and had daily battles for certain sections of the small Illinois town of Wayne they lived in. These battles took place in both handheld and card form. He and Parker ended up winning the war, annexing all fifteen sections of Wayne into their empire. They were the best.

Of course, it was harder to enjoy Pokemon in high school. Kids get ridiculed all the time for the mere mention of the name, and Matt and Parker didn't feel the need to be subjected to it. They played in secrecy up until the day that they found their bags with their pokemon inside.

_Matt!_

Matt looked up, his memories suddenly shattered by Entei's resounding voice. Entei had at least fifty-maybe even more-furret behind him. He looked proud of himself.

_They're tiny, but anything is possible in large numbers._

"I hear that." Said Matt, getting back on Entei's back as they watched the colony of Furret pick up its children.

Entei barked an order to the pokemon and they fled to D.C. without question, leaving their homes - and possibly their lives - behind.

"Entei?"

_Yes?_

"You could see the world when you were asleep, right?"

_I was aware of events in my area and in others due to all of the other sleeping legends, yes. Why do you ask?_

"I was wondering if Pokemon were ever as innocent as they were when I was a little kid. Was there always war between you all?"

_No._ Entei said, _In fact, we were once at peace with each other. There was balance for about five hundred years. No "faction" of Pokemon had risen against Mew, not after what Mew had done in the Heavenly Removal._

"What?" Matt asked, suddenly confused and interested, "The Heavenly Removal? What was that?"

_Mew wasn't always our king. There was another Pokemon that ruled over us eternally…until Mew showed up. _

"What did he do?"

_Mew overthrew Arceus._

Matt looked up as the color returned to the sky at the instant Entei said Arceus.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I

"Watch it!"

Parker ducked as a large telephone wire swung over his head, spewing thousands of volts of electricity out of its edge. Raikou jumped and absorbed the energy right after it cleared Parker.

"Damn Kecleon…" Parker muttered, looking towards Raikou who was now sparking due to being overcharged.

_I need to use discharge. We need to find these Kecleon!_

Kecleon had been slashing telephone wires all around Washington, D.C. in order to cut all land line communication within the city. Satellite communication was still active, but Raikou was certain that Celebi had a plan to cut that as well.

"What next?" Asked Parker, "All Pokemon in the city have been recruited, and the world's most fearsome army is about to attack with us being the only line of defense."

_We do the only thing we can do; prepare for the worst. _

"Why so pessimistic?"

_It's being realistic. Without the army's help we don't have much of a chance alone. _

Parker sighed and slumped to the ground, his head facing the sky, which was turning black.

"Black again…" Parker groaned, "how does that happen?"

_It's a sign of Armageddon._ Raikou said with an indifferent tone.

"WHAT?" Parker yelled, now springing up to his feet, "Are you saying that the end is nigh or something like that?"

_Not at all. It's a sign of Arceus' anger, which is a sign of Armageddon._

"Arceus' anger?" Parker asked, "Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to confuse me?"

Raikou sighed, _I answered your questions. If you want a story then I can give it to you._

"I'll go get some milk and cookies first."

_No need to be a smart ass now. _

"Whoa!" Parker said, "You _swore_!"

_It got your attention didn't it? Alright. It's time to continue. The sky's turning black is a sign of Arceus' anger, like I already said. It's the first sign of Armageddon, meaning Arceus' return to Earth and reclaiming of its lands for himself. _

"I don't think that's the whole story. I'm still extremely confused."

_If you stopped interrupting I would be able to tell you! First let me tell you all four signs of Armageddon. First, the sky turns black. Second, the oceans turn red. Third, the land erupts into flames. The final sign is a large beam of light from the skies, and from that light Arceus emerges, ready to take back all that is his._

"Okay…but why is Arceus mad?"

_I'm sure Matt has the same question. I'll tell Entei to explain it to him. _

"Okay…" Parker said, waiting while Raikou sent a message to Entei.

_Alright. Entei knows. I'll start at the beginning. When Pokemon were created, we were created with balance in mind. Meaning that for each strength a Pokemon has, there is a weakness also. This is why we have types. Some types are stronger against others, and some are weaker. Arceus is the one who created us to be like this. He's the equivalent to the human God…but instead it's for us Pokemon. _

"So Arceus does exist?"

_Very much so. He lived among us for about five hundred years. We all lived in peace and harmony. Nothing was able to split the Pokemon. That was until Arceus became paranoid when Mew was born._

"But didn't Arceus create Mew?"

_No. A legendary pokemon is created by a mutation in another pokemon's birth. Sometimes this makes us stronger, and sometimes it makes us weaker. Entei, Suicune, and I are all offspring of a Houndoom gone wrong._

"So legends have birth defects?"

_In a sense, yes. But these "defects" make us stronger. When Mew was born from a Clefairy, Arceus didn't know what to think. Mew looked extremely frail, and it was a miracle that he even survived infancy. Arceus wasn't paranoid then, it was a few years after that when they figured out that he could learn any ability that every Pokemon has. Arceus began to fear him then. _

"Was Arceus a good leader?"

_He was magnificent until he became paranoid. Mew wouldn't have done anything if Arceus hadn't begun to become a tyrant rather than a king. He started to restrict something that was the center of our society…battling. _

_ Battles were huge before Mew sealed us away. We would make teams of Pokemon…it was like a human sport. Everyone would be part of a team. Everyone battled. These teams would set up strategies and work together to beat other teams…it was great fun. When Arceus started to limit those to stop Mew from learning too many moves, things started to get sticky. It's on our blood to battle, without battle we Pokemon have too much energy stored up inside us. We need to release it somehow, and there is no way as fun or tiring as battle. _

_ Mew started to hold underground battle tournaments. Arceus saw all, but so did Mew. When Arceus intervened, he used his powers to break up our battles. Mew saw Arceus use this power and honed it, he copied Arceus. _

"So he learned how to use the same abilities as Arceus…so what happened next?"

_Mew was scared. He was afraid that if we didn't get rid of Arceus our battles would be gone forever. He organized a force to stop him at that point and use one move that Mew himself created on the god…_

"And this move was?"

_Judgement._

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"But…" Matt said, "I thought Judgement was a move only Arceus knew? How did Mew create it?"

_You're correct. Arceus is the only one who knows Judgement naturally. However, Mew had learned all of Arceus' moves when he broke up our battles. Because of this Mew was able to analyze his own moveset and predict the nature of Arceus' next move…and essentially learnt it before the great god of Pokemon did. _

"So why doesn't Mew use it now?"

_It almost killed him. Judgement requires an enormous amount of energy, which is why Arceus uses natural plates to power it up. The energy needs to come from the planet. Mew didn't realize this, and instead took up all of the energy from himself. When he used it on Arceus on the fated day his power level dropped back to one. _

"So what exactly did Judgement do?"

_It killed Arceus. But since he's a god, he was reborn in the heavens. Pokemon have been prophesying his return for years now. _

Matt took in all of the information. If this was true, how powerful was Mew? What were his true motives? Matt began to doubt the legend's supposedly pure intentions.

_If you're worried about Mew, I would stop. _Entei said, _he's our ally, trust me._

"Alright." Matt said, "So what's next?"

_We're going to destroy all that threaten your country's capital. Let's go._

Matt smiled, the sky reverted to its original color.


	7. Driving Hope

**It's been 8 months and I haven't even put up 8 chapters! I'm so sorry! A lot has been happening lately and writer's block is terrible. I'll keep trying to update, but keep in mind that "Driving Hope" will never be finished until I say so!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: Driving Hope**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Sean groaned, they had been walking on barren rock for hours and nothing different was in sight. He was tired, but not hungry. All he wanted was a comfortable place to take shelter in and sleep for a few years. They hadn't had a rest since the day they returned to Chicago, and The Void was seriously taking a toll on the group. Suicune even looked tired.

"Suicune." Jo said, "Are we close to wherever we're going?"

Suicune sighed, _the trail is weak, I can't pick up the old scents that lead to it that easily. We're on the right path, but we're either extremely close or still have an antagonizingly long trip ahead of us._

Sean turned to Jo, "I wonder…what tryant is going to show up next?"

Jo thought for moment, then shook her head, "I don't know in the slightest. Anyone we fight is going to be tough, especially after our Sephiroth encounter."

"Agreed," Jordan said, "But we need a plan. If we work together…"

"We can do anything. So let's figure it out." Julie said, cutting into Jordan's sentence. Jordan shot her a "Really?" look, to which he responded with an impish smile.

_Sephiroth was toying with you guys until the end of that fight, at that point it was far too late for him to retaliate with any meaningful attack before you defeated him. Now that he's gone, the tyrants won't be underestimating you anymore._

"So how are we supposed to fight them? I can't imagine them waiting too long to have a crack at our lives." Sean said.

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do besides always be ready for them…" Julie said, she turned to Suicune, "Now that I'm thinking about it…how in the world are we supposed to find Amaranth's soul in such a large space?"

_It's my theory that the Tryants are holding her captive._ Suicune said.

"So to get to her we have to fight them?" Jordan exclaimed in fury, "Dammit! Why is it so hard to be the good guys? We need a break every once in a while!"

"If it were so easy then everybody would be a hero…" Sean said, "So…we should start devising plans, right?"

"Sean, you and Jo are the only ones with any Final Fantasy experience, and you haven't beaten all of them at that. It's up to you two to figure out how we're going to beat these things." Jordan said.

Jo sighed, "I've played ten and four…"

"So it's Sean." Julie stated.

"More or less…and there's no guarantee that we'll be fighting them the same way I did in the games." Sean said.

"So we're literally in the dark here." Jordan said, referring to the blackness of the void around them.

_You four need to calm down._ Suicune said, _Even when Sephiroth went all out on you guys you beat him, and you can do it again. Remember; teamwork is key._

Sean sighed, "He's right…"

Jo smiled, "Let's do this, guys…together!"

If Suicune hadn't said anything the group would've been too busy arguing and complaining to notice the lush green field ahead of them. Julie was the first to notice and gasped.

"It's so…green! It's the prettiest green I have ever seen!"

_There it is. The Oasis._

"I'm glad for the change of scenery but…" Jordan began, "Why here? It just looks like another endless expanse of nothing…just greener."

_We need help if we're going to defeat Amaranth, and the easiest way to get that help is located in there._

"What kind of help?" Julie asked.

_When we created The Void, we needed pokemon that would defend it from the inside and make sure no one being would gain too much power. These pokemon were originally Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, Mespirit, Uxie, and Azelf. The latter three, however, had to be released from The Void after a fateful encounter with Giratina and Rayquaza. The birds are still here, though. Quietly keeping the peace. _

"So where are they?" Sean asked.

_I don't even know. Do you four remember the orbs that were in The Power of One? _

"The ones Ash used to calm the birds at their respective islands, right?" Jo asked. Suicune nodded.

_Precisely. Those orbs are up ahead, and when broken will take you to a trial set by the birds themselves. These trials will test your courage, cunning, patience, and heart. If you complete them, the corresponding bird will appear and pledge their loyalty to you._

"So who's going?" Sean asked.

_Jordan, Jo, and Julie._

Jordan gulped. Julie gasped with excitement, and Jo made a squeak.

"W…w..wait…we have to…you mean…get the loyalty of…um…" Jordan stammered, but all of the words that followed were too jumbled to be understood.

_Be brave, this isn't different from anything you've faced before._

"But still…" Julie began, "It's difficult. You'd think things are like a video game, they start off easy and get harder and harder…but instead things start harder and get more and more impossible."

_You all have gotten this far and have faced incredible odds. You are the warriors of light, remember. This is not an easy task, but you were chosen because we knew you could handle it. You've proven us correct before, and I'm not going to give up on you now._

"Once we have the birds, we'll have two legendary trios on our side…" Sean muttered, "Hey, Suicune, what's going on with the lake spirits and the Regis?"

_We've lost contact with the former and the latter are guarding specific items. Regice was guarding my pendant._

"What items?" Jo asked, "Anything that the Black Hand or Celebi might need?"

_Yes._

Suicune didn't answer beyond that, a silence struck the group that seemed to stretch on forever, until Jordan spoke up.

"So…what exactly is being guarded?"

_If I told you that I'd have to kill you._

"What?" Julie said in shock.

_Just kidding. _

The group was not amused.

_I can't have a little fun in a tight situation like you four always do?_

"NO!" The four responded instantaneously.

_Fine. There's something buried deep within Regirock's lair and Registeel's lair that all of the factions, if they knew about it, would want. It's in two pieces, one in each lair. _

"Still not telling us…" Jordan said.

_If you would stop interrupting I'd continue. Now, where was I? Oh yes, the artifact. Mew created a device that would keep Arceus from being able to descend onto the Earth again after the Heavenly Removal._

"The Heavenly WHAT?" Julie asked, everyone showing the same confusion.

_Oh, right…I never told you. The story shall be saved for another day, but the short version is that Mew kicked Arceus out of power and took over thousands of years ago as king of the Pokemon. Does that help?_

The group responded with another resounding "NO!"

_I would like to hear "yes" every once in a while. Anyway, this artifact is a giant slab created of multicolored plates that gave Arceus his type changing powers. Mew got all of the plates and put them together on a slab, beat Arceus, and then broke the slab in half in order to prevent Arceus from ever gaining power from it again. _

"You're not making any sense." Sean said.

_I know. It's a very complicated situation. Basically if any of the opposing factions gets their hands on the slab they'll be able to summon back Arceus by asking him to call on its power._

"Things just got a lot more complicated…and all I wanted to know is if we'll have the Regis on our side any time soon…" Sean groaned loudly.

"Either way, having the birds will help us." Jo said; who set her foot on the lush grass of the new terrain first. It was soft, almost like mud but it wasn't mucky.

"This is weird grass…" Jordan said, picking up a clump and watching it sift through his fingers. The blades were now very stiff and brittle. They broke with the slightest movement.

_It's The Void. _

"That's going to be your explanation for everything, isn't it?" Julie asked.

_I don't see why this is an issue._

"Why is The Void so unpredictable anyway?" Sean asked, with Jo cupping his mouth immediately after he asked.

"No more questions! I don't want to be even more confused before I face my bird!"

_You'll have to be told soon anyway. _

"So tell us!" Sean said, "Now, I don't want any surprises."

_Wait. Patience is a virtue, Sean._

"Trust me; it's not one of his." Jordan said.

_Just forget about it for now. _The group approached a small valley, the land dipping below them. Before them lay a small crevice covered in flowers of different shades of red, blue, and yellow.

_This is where we part for a short while_, Suicune said as he nudged Jordan, Julie, and Jo forward_, it is now time for you to face your trials. _

"Already?" Julie asked, "I'm not ready for this!"

_Stay calm. _

"How? You've given us little time to prepare!" Jo said, her eyes widening.

_The Tyrants will give you even less._

"What do we do while they're gone, Suicune?" Sean asked.

_We wait here and hope a Tyrant doesn't attack._

"Because hoping is going to get us anywhere…" Jordan muttered.

"HEY!" Jo yelled, slapping Jordan on the back of his head, "It gets us everywhere! Look at Megan and me! If I had lost hope that she'd become a human, I wouldn't be here with you guys right now!" She turned to Sean and pointed at him, "If he didn't have any hope, you two _wouldn't_ have gone to the Illinois State Prison and gotten involved in this whole thing!" She looked at Julie, "If she didn't have hope…she might have given up after being taken away with me!" Jo sighed and looked at her friends, hoping they understood.

"Don't you see?" She gasped, taking in a large breath, "It's hope! It's our HOPE that DRIVES US!"

Sean looked at Jo and smiled, "Driving Hope."

Jo smiled back, "You got it."

_Honestly. I'll never understand humans. Always so wordy. You guys can't just get to the point it seems. Oh well, it's no matter, the orbs await._

Julie ran forward, into the red flowers, "Let's go!"

Jo ran into the blue, "For our world!"

Jordan hesitated, then ran into the yellow flowers, "And for ourselves!"

The three scoured in the plants for a minute or so, and one by one they found the orbs they were looking for. They looked at each other, and then to Sean and Suicune. Sean nodded with a confident smile on his face.

_I trust you three! Make haste!_

"Right!" The three yelled, throwing their orbs into the ground.

And in a flash, they were gone.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

Pain.

Pain.

Red.

Pain.

Pain.

Julie couldn't see anything. Everything was black, and her body seemed to be ripping itself apart. Flashes of red were all around her, making her body feel hot from seeing the intensity of the color. She couldn't bear it. The pain was immense, it was worse than…than…

The time her brother killed himself.

The second she thought that, her brother appeared before him. He was young, around eight years old, and he was playing with his model airplane that he had just completed (with his Dad's help). He wanted to a pilot his whole life, Julie remembered, and the pain that she was feeling was intensified by seeing this memory. Her brother's innocence showed through, his deep blue eyes glistening with hope, his messy brown hair getting in the way of his sight.

Why did he have to die?

Why couldn't she die for him?

The pain…

Julie went numb to the physical pain as her emotions swelled through. She screamed, "Moltres! What do you want from me? All you've done is shown me this memory…and tortured me with this pain I cannot see!"

No response.

Julie grunted, "You think this is enough for me to give up? You think this will break me? You're wrong! I'll never give up!"

Her brother was now riding his bike down a dirt hill; the wind threw his hair back and revealed his shining, laughing face.

Julie screamed, "It's for his memory that I keep going! If I'm to die, so be it, but I'm going to live his life for him! I will not give into anyone until I die!"

At that moment, the memories left, the pain went away, and the flashes of red stopped. She was left suspended in voidspace, not knowing what was to happen next.

_The passion you feel for your brother…_said an unfamiliar voice, it sounded soft and womanly…_is commendable. I accept you as my master._

I_I_I_I_I_I

"Megan?"

"Megan?"

No response.

"MEGAN?"

Silence.

Jo's backpack was empty. There was nothing inside. Megan was gone, the pokeballs, her phone, her pokedex…everything was gone.

Ice. That's what she was standing on. She could feel the ice bend down with her weight. If she moved, the ice would break. She fall in and drown with everything else caught under there.

What was caught under there?

Jo reluctantly looked down and saw the most terrifying sight. Jordan's body was sprawled face-up, his face locked in a gaping terror, as if he was screaming, trying to get her attention.

Did he die? Could she have saved him?

Where was Megan?

Where was everybody?

"I'm…alone…" Jo said, a tear forming at the tip of her eyelid, "What…happened?" The tear froze. She picked it off and examined it. She crushed it, turning it into dust.

"Crying won't get you anywhere." Jo said to herself, "Articuno!"

No response.

"Articuno!"

More silence.

"Articuno! I demand you reveal yourself now! I've seen through your test, and you will help me with our mission to save our home whether you like it or not!"

_Who said I'm to answer to you? _A womanly voice asked, it sounded cool and relaxed, but at the same time it had a bitter edge to it.

"I did!" Jo said, "And you know why that's important? Because I'm going to return Megan to normal! All you're doing is making this harder, so you will pay me back with your submission to me!"

I_I_I_I_I_I

Zapdos lay before Jordan, sleeping. Jordan stared in awe at the bird, its feathers seeming to radiate a visible electric field. He did not know what Zapdos expected of him in this test, but it certainly seemed like he was sleeping on the job.

Jordan took a step toward the bird, nothing happened.

"This is confusing…" Jordan said, "Why aren't I being subjected to something horrible right now?"

Zapdos opened his eyes at the sound of Jordan's voice.

_Jordan!_

Jordan screamed and jumped backwards, his face now brimming with fear. Zapdos' voice was resounding and intimidating, and him screaming at Jordan only encouraged a frightened reaction.

"Wh…wh…what?" Jordan asked.

_What is your motive for coming here, to The Void?_

"To save Aramanth of cour…"

_Wrong!_

"What are you talking about?"

_You don't believe you should save her! She's a fallen angel, and therefore should go to the devil, right?_

Jordan hesitated, "Well…um…"

_Why did you come? You're a liar! A fake! You're disguising your hatred for the cause!_

"NO!" Jordan yelled, his eyes filling with rage, "I'm not here for Amaranth, I admit, but I AM here for Sean! I'm here for Julie! I'm here for Jo and Megan! I'm here to help my friends fight the biggest threat of our lives, and I'm making sure that we all make it out of here alive!"

Zapdos didn't respond.

"In order to that…" Jordan said, "I need you to help me! If my intentions aren't pure, so be it! If you don't want me here, then just…"

_What?_

"KILL ME!"

I_I_I_I_I_I


	8. For Freedom

**I'm going to try to be more consistent now! Sorry for the slowness of everything.**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Chapter 8: For Freedom**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"We only have one hour?" Parker yelled in fury, kicking the ground beneath him with such force that Matt though he'd start an earthquake, "How in the world are we supposed to be ready in an hour? D.C. is HUGE!"

Mew nodded, _which is why we must pick out the key points to defend. There are three I can think of. See if you can guess._

"The White House, obviously." Matt said.

"The Capitol Building, also obvious…" Parker said.

_And the Washington Monument. _Raikou said. Mew nodded.

"Wait, why there?" Asked Matt.

_It's a symbol of America's first great leader and has stood erect for hundreds of years, losing it would cause a great loss of morale among your people. _

"Fine." Parker said, "But what resources do we have besides our Pokemon?"

_We're alone in the this fight, Parker. _Entei said.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"A whole army of WHAT?" President Barack Obama said into his phone at his desk, his mouth agape in surprise. He should've listened to the kids in the first place.

"Mr. President, we need authorization to mount a defense against this force."

"No you don't!" Obama yelled, "Gather all of the local army, navy, air force, and whatever else you have! Call in the National Guards from every state possible!"

"Will do sir. Anything else?"

"Evacuate the city. We can't afford to lose any more lives than we have already."

"Already under way sir."

"Dismissed."

Obama gently placed the phone on the receiver. He placed his hand on his forehead and sighed, "It's all my fault…if only I had listened to them in the first place…"

A knock came from the door to his office, he called the person in. A man dressed in a black suit wearing black sunglasses came in. He was a secret service agent.

"Mr. President, we have to get you out of here." The man said.

"No." Obama said, "I'm fighting with these children and our army. You worry about my family, but I'm going to the front lines."

"Mr. President, if you die the whole nation would lose hope."

"No." Obama said, he smiled, "I'm not going to be the one they look to anymore. It's going to be those kids…the ones who are preparing right now to defend our nation. They have more patriotism than I ever have."

The agent nodded, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes." Obama said, "Before you go, make sure you get a squad protecting those kids."

"We need a description."

"They'll be the ones commanding the Pokemon. You won't miss them."

"Understood."

"Dismissed."

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

It was done. The preparations had finished, and the battle was only minutes away. Parker took up defense of the White House with Entei, while Matt took up defense of the Capitol with Raikou. Mew and Jirachi were both at the Washington Monument observing the city. No army could be seen yet, but it was close.

Parker was only allowed to be at the gates of the White House; it was considered trespassing beyond them and was punishable by years of prison. With the army not helping in this battle, Parker had to get as close as he could. He realized, of course, that when the battle broke out there would be no rules on where he could go.

Suddenly, three large armored vehicles the size of school buses sped around the corner and pulled up at the front of the White House, right in front of Parker. Large amounts of soldiers quickly dispatched from the back, a wave of green lurching out from behind. There must have been at least 150 soldiers by the time everyone was out of the trucks.

A commanding officer highly decorated in shiny pins and medals came out from the back of one truck and called the troops to attention. He had a stern face, and his shiny bald head only made him look more intimidating.

"This is it, men!" The officer yelled, "In an instant, our very freedom has been threatened! An army of Pokemon are coming to take our capitol and destroy everyone in the city! It is our job to defend our city, and most importantly, the people living inside of it! You are all in a battle as significant as the entirety of Revolutionary War! This is not a battle for oil or ideals, this is a war for our very sovereignty as a nation! This is a battle for freedom!"

"For freedom!" The soldiers yelled, throwing their fists in the air.

"Good! You've received your assignments before coming here, troops, begin operation FREEDOM!"

"Sir yes sir!"

The mass of green suddenly broke and spread across the city. Parker watched in awe at the spectacle, not noticing the officer approaching him.

"Are you one of the kids I hear is supposed to be defending the city?"

Parker hesitated, but then nodded, "Yeah…so what?"

The officer pulled a handgun from his back pocket and pointed the grip towards Parker.

"Take it."

"This? I can't even use a gun!"

"I hope you're not going to have to use it, but if you have to…" He shook the weapon, "…it could mean the difference between life and death."

"Thanks sir, but I have other means of…"

The officer shoved the gun into Parker's chest, giving Parker no choice but to take it. He delicately grabbed the gun and thanked the officer, who then gave him a holster.

"Keep it safe." The officer said.

Parker attached the holster and placed the gun inside. It admittedly gave him a better sense of security, but in the end he had his mastery of Light to defend himself and didn't really have use for a gun.

Parker noticed the trucks wouldn't leave, "Sir, what's going on here?"

"These are civilian evacuation vehicles. The White House is an evacuation point." The officer said, "By the wage, don't call me "sir", it makes you sound like a whiny bitch. Call me Sarge."

Parker nodded, "Alright, Sarge."

"Good."

"Sarge?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have anybody on your communications telling you about the incoming army? Like, how large it is?"

"I do." Sarge said, he sighed, "Our satellites are reporting a force of well over five thousand pokemon."

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Matt stood at the capitol, staring at his new gun. He always wanted to own a handgun, but gun laws in his state prevented even adults from owning one. Now he had one, and it felt _awesome._ So awesome, in fact, that he momentarily forgot that the U.S. was at stake.

_Matt. The sky._

Matt looked towards the sky when Raikou spoke, and saw that it was turning black again. It was only 5:00pm, not even close to late enough to be seeing a sky such as this.

Matt sighed, "Whose side is Arceus on?"

_I'm not even sure. All I know for sure is who I'm fighting for, and that's Mew, you and Parker. _

"Thank you, Raikou."

_For what?_

"For being consistent. Lord knows nothing is for sure anymore."

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

At the Washington monument, Mew was meditating with Jirachi.

That's when they heard the first gunshots. They opened their eyes and looked out. The northernmost part of the city was under attack by a swarm of Beedrill.

_That didn't take too long. Quickly! _Jirachi said.

_Of course! I'll warn Matt, the Beedrill are heading towards him! You get the colony of Castform ready, we're about to make things really cold!_

_ On it!_

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"Of HOW MANY Beedrill?" Matt yelled at the air, Mew was speaking to him telepathically.

_Approximately 300. You can do it!_

"What happened to our plan of hailstorm by the Castform?"

_It's coming, but we're defending the monument. Good luck!_

At that point Mew stopped talking. Matt mounted Raikou and called out his Graveler. The pokemon looked at him and nodded his head, knowing exactly what was to come.

Then they came. First Matt heard a faint buzz in the distance, but soon he saw the mass of black and yellow that the Beedrill made. He could see hundreds of stingers, aimed right at him. The swarm was so large it took up the whole street in front of him, leaving him nothing but a black and yellow promise of death approaching him.

"Now!" Matt yelled as he saw the Beedrill were coming too close. He summoned his sword and cast forth a tornado, which Raikou charged with electricity. The tornado slammed into the wall ofbeedrill, causing the pokemon to scream in pain and quickly fall to the ground. Meanwhile, Graveler was throwing rocks at individual ones.

They held off at least half of the wave before the tornado gave out; then all hell broke loose.

The swarm came upon Matt before he could see them advancing past their trap. He was thrown off of Raikou and mauled by the Beedrill. Their stingers came crashing down on him while he was still in the air; they were trying to inject their slow-acting poison into him.

Matt summoned a tornado around him, a giant funnel of wind encasing him and giving him protection against the buzzing black mass. The Beedrill that were attacking him were sucked in and thrown away, he could hear their cries as they slammed into each other.

_Matt! Are you alright? _Raikou asked. The legend could be heard using discharge on the bugs.

"I'm fine!" Matt yelled through his wall of wing, "But what are we supposed to do to break this?"

_Nothing! Brace yourself! _Raikou yelled.

A minute after Raikou gave him the command Matt felt the air temperature drop to below freezing as many icy wind attacks rushed past his tornado, soon he saw hail coming out from the sky, and, eventually, a snowstorm covered the whole street around him. Soon the intense buzzing created by the Beedrill became silent.

Matt released his tornado and saw that every attacking Beedrill was frozen. He turned around to see about 30 Castform, all in ice form, panting.

"Great job, Castform!" Matt yelled, the pokemon cheered in delight.

Raikou came to Matt, _perfect. We survived. Were you punctured?_

Matt checked himself, "Nope. You?"

_Nope. We got lucky that time. I'll thank Mew for the help._

"Don't take too long!" Matt said, summoning his sword, "We're just getting started!"

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Parker's Illumise floated in front him, she seemed determined to help.

"Illumise! You know what to do! Go!" Parker commanded, the bee-like pokemon nodded and zipped away, determined to fufill her duty. Parker's Vibrava floated down next to him and bit on his pants, tugging his leg to his right. Parker turned his head and his heart plummeted.

Before him was Celebi. She was coming straight for the President.

"Sarge!" Parker yelled, "We have to get these people out of here NOW!"

Sarge was still loading civilians into the armored escape vehicles, he saw Celebi and gasped, he picked up his radio, "Hello! Hello! Come in! Civilian loading area H is under attack by a powerful hostile, all squads in the immediate vicinity report immediately! We need backup!"

He radio echoed back, "Bravo on the way."

"Sigma on the way.

"Foxtrot on the way."

Sarge looked towards the civilians, "Quickly! Quickly!"

Parker looked at Entei, the legend nodded. "Let's go!"

Parker leaped onto Entei's back and charged at the approaching Celebi, his eyes filled with anger.

"Celebi!" Parker yelled, "This is for you!"

He had caught Celebi off-guard as he leaped off of Entei's back and into the air, creating a large gap between him and the legend, Celebi's head being right below him.

Parker's sword changed into a bow spontaneously, Parker aimed it straight down, "Arrow of Light!"

He shot a small but bright arrow of light at Celebi's head, it approached quickly and hit her right in the back of head, a large column of light erupting from the point where it hit.

"Direct hit!" Parker yelled as he landed on the ground next to Entei ,"We showed her!"

_Too easy._ Entei said, _this is not over._

The column of light dissipated, nothing was left of Celebi. All that could be seen was a dark black spot where the column of light sprang forth.

"I obliterated her…?" Parker asked, now confused.

_Something's not right!_

A maniacal laugh erupted in Parker's ears, a woman's evil voice echoing throughout his brain. One that he knew all too well.

"Celebi!" Parker yelled.

_You fell for it! _The fairy Pokemon said as she appeared in front of Parker, _Did you think you could kill me that easily?_

Parker was about to respond when he heard Celebi behind him, _Yeah! I'm offended, actually! _

Parker turned around and saw another Celebi behind him, one to his right, to his left, and soon a whole circle of Celebi appeared around him.

"What?"

_Clones! _Entei said, _Parker, it's an illusion! One of these could be the real Celebi, or none could be at all!_

"Bullshit!" Parker yelled, he readied his bow, "Which one should I aim at? How do I know?"

_It's me! _One of the Celebi yelled.

_No, it's me, I'm the real one! _Said another Celebi. Soon all of them we're begging Parker to take a shot at them, they were taunting him.

_Don't do it, Parker! It's a trap! We have to break free of this circle! _Entei yelled.

_BREAK FREE? _The Celebi yelled, they all let out a piercing laugh, _BREAK FREE? Did you honestly think we'd trap you here so we could let you escape? Oh no, this simply will not do!_

Parker's feet were soon ensnared with vines that cracked through the cement; Entei tried to burn them off, but soon more and more came until they could no longer see the ground. Parker and Entei were soon both being strangled by vines that seemed to have come from nowhere.

Meanwhile, the Celebi were all laughing, _You have seriously underestimated my power! _Parker and Entei were being lifted up into the air for all to see. Celebi wanted everyone to see their deaths.

_Now everyone will watch as you're strangled to death!_

A vine came up and closed over Parker's throat, he tried to grab at it, but another vine kept his arms down. He tried to scream, but his vocal cords were being crushed. He was defeated. His world was turning red, then purple, and then grey. He started to see black spots; his consciousness was fading as his body begged for air.

Parker closed his eyes before he could see his Illumise.

"BEEEEEAAAAAATTTTTTTTT"!

A swarm of Volbeat charged the Celebi clones; they let out a blood-curdling scream as the mass of bug pokemon cut through their ranks. Without the Celebi's concentration on Parker and Entei, the vines they had conjured to hold them quickly fell and dropped Parker and Entei to the ground. Parker was unconscious by the time he hit the road beneath him, but Entei was conscious.

Illumise had led a swarm of at least one hundred Volbeat to the battle. An Illumise was said to be so rare among the breed of pokemon that one could attract hundreds of Volbeat by just dancing. That's what Parker told the Pokemon to do.

In an effort to prove themselves to Parker's pokemon, the Volbeat tore at the Celebi clones, tens of the attacking one at a time. With each clone outnumbered, they quickly disappeared into the air as if they never existed.

Entei picked Parker up on his back and saw the civilian transport vehicles leaving. He nodded towards Illumise, _Thank you; you saved ours and hundreds of people's lives. _

Illumise nodded and cheered; the Volbeat cheering with her.

Parker was beginning to regain consciousness, "Ngh…Entei…what…"

_Don't talk. Illumise came through and saved us both. The civilians are alright. _

Parker grunted a satisfied grunt.

_Alright, let's head back to the front of the White House, just in case the real Celebi decides to show herself._

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Mew and Jirachi were fighting off hordes of Pokemon fighting for Celebi. A Honchkrow tried to nail Celebi with a steel wing, but Jirachi used swift on him just in time.

_How many more Pokemon can we handle? _Jirachi asked.

_I don't know…_ Mew replied, _but this can't be it…something's…off…_

Soon, Mew's troubles were proven correct. There was loud "CRACK!" in the sky that could be heard for miles as Mew saw a large, dark ball of energy slam into a random part of downtown D.C. The energy was crackling with sparks and incinerated everything it touched. It must've been three hundred feet in diameter.

_Jirachi! I was right! Something was off! Celebi isn't heading this battle! She's just the one behind the scenes directing it all!_

_ Who is it, then? _Jirachi asked.

_It's Darkrai! He's trying to open another entrance to the The Void, right here in D.C.!_

**I_I_I_I_I_I**


	9. A Cloud of Darkness

**So…remember chapter 18 of Into the Void where I went on a huge rant about reviews?**

**Yeah…I almost want to do that again. But I was in a very dark place when I wrote that. I'm not in that anymore. So just please…**

**Please…**

**Please…**

**REVIEW! It would make me very happy and encourage me to write more. My frequent readers know that the more reviews I get, the faster I want to write. So if you'd like this to be a more consistently updated fanfic, then please REVIEW!**

**Thank you, that is all.**

**I'm pretty sure you want me to get on with it at this point…**

**I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY III**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Chapter 9: A Cloud of Darkness**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Sean lay in the field of flowers, anxiously waiting for his friends to come back. His Umbreon and Scyther were both wandering around, noting the black sky's contrast with the colorful field. It was surreal, everything was lighted in the area around him and yet the sky was so dark. It was ironic. It sent a chill down his spine.

Suicune was pacing around the field, he looked anxious.

"Something wrong?" Sean asked.

_Not really. _Suicune said, stopping to look at his partner, _I just don't like sitting around here doing nothing this whole time. I feel like we're sitting ducks._

"Tell me about it." Sean said, sighing, "I wonder which tyrant is next."

_Just don't say which you wouldn't prefer. We might just get that._

"Hey, last time it worked." Sean said.

_Sephiroth was still a formidable foe. Watch it._

"I gotcha." Sean said. He sat up, "So where next?"

_We're finding Amaranth's soul next. There's a cave nearby that houses the souls of those trapped in the Void, so we should expect to find her there._

"A cave of lost souls…" Sean muttered, "Suicune, if we close the Void, will we get them out?"

_I believe so. Once they're physically out of the Void, they should be mentally as well. Unless they're killed in the real world first._

"I hope we're not too late then…" Sean said.

Blade and Lunar were still examining the area when they froze suddenly. Sean noticed this, and Suicune suddenly growled.

"Oh no…" Sean said.

_They're here._

"Who? Can you tell?"

_No. It feels like one entity, but it's everywhere. We're surrounded. But it's just one person._

Sean sprung up to his feet, "Dammit…" he thought for a minute, then realized.

"Shit."

_Got it?_

"The Cloud of Darkness."

The moment he said that he heard a piercing laugh echo throughout the entire field. It sounded like a mixture of men and women's voices, not taking on a pure form.

"It's not male or female, it manifested as a female in Final Fantasy III, but I believe the Cloud can manifest as many things."

_I know now. Sean, stay alert, the attack will come from all sides._

Sean called out to his Pokemon, "Lunar! Blade! Watch yourselves! An attack can come out of anywhere!"

His Pokemon nodded in agreement.

Sean looked around; looking for a sign, but nothing was different. He then looked up and saw the sky, it was as if the land beneath them had lifted up and was taking them towards it. It was getting closer to them, ready to consume them when it got close enough.

"I found our cloud." Sean said, pointing straight up. Suicune nodded. Sean took in a breath, "Suicune! Ice Beam, up above! Lunar! Shadow Ball, same area!"

The two pokemon looked straight up and fired, their attacks combining in a synergy, turning into a comet with a shadowy aura. The comet pierced the sky, a funnel opening up right where it entered the mass of black. The same laugh from before emanated from the funnel as hundreds of snakes spewed forth from it, entering the field and hiding in the flowers.

"Shit!" Sean yelled, he jumped on Suicune's back and summoned his daggers, ready to defend himself. He pulled out his pokeballs and called back Blade and Lunar, protecting them from the reptiles.

_Why did you do that?_

"These things must be poisonous, and they're doing a good job of hiding."

_Alright. What should we do?_

"Surf!" Sean yelled. Suicune nodded and jumped backwards a few feet, a large wave of water erupting in front of him. Sean shot out his hand and poured electricity into the wave, charging it with explosive energy. Soon the wave began to kill snakes; Sean heard hisses and cries from the malicious creatures.

The flowers didn't get wet.

The snakes, however, were still pouring from the funnel in the sky, and Sean could now see them. They were purple and had black dots along their backs, their fangs so large that they curved down their chins. Sean was convinced that a single bite from one of these would kill him.

The snakes that were hit by the wave were soon replaced with more snakes, now so numerous that Sean could pick out the hordes of them through the large flowers and grasses. They moved towards them slowly, like a wave of molasses, but this molasses would kill you on contact.

Suicune sent out a another wave of Surf, Sean charging it again, but this time it seemed to have no effect on the approaching wave of snakes. Sean looked around, starting to panic. He needed a way out.

Sean turned around to see more funnels opening behind them, and an equally large wave of snakes approaching them from the behind. They were surrounded.

"Bad news, Suicune." Sean said, "We're not able to back up anymore. The snakes are over there, too. Any ideas?"

_We could rush them with an ice beam and see how far we get without getting bitten, but we need a decision, fast!_

Sean could see no other route, the idea was a deathwish, but they had no other choice. Suicune crouched, Sean braced himself. The snakes were only about 20 feet away from them now.

"One, two…" Sean began, but he was cut off as the area around him burst into flames. A pillar of fire surrounded him and Suicune, protecting them from the foul snakes. Sean looked up and saw Julie riding on top of Moltres, she extended her hand.

"We can't stop the snakes, but we can get above them! Call Suicune into his ball and hop on!" She yelled.

Sean looked at Suicune, who nodded. _Don't die here. I don't want to be released to hear I've been stuck in the Void for centuries._

Sean chuckled, "I'll see you in a few minutes, Suicune." He jumped off of the legend's back and called back Suicune. Moltres landed in front of him and allowed him to climb on behind Julie, grabbing hold of her abdomen.

"Let's go, Moltres!" Julie said. The bird nodded and flew straight up into the sky, just as the pillar of fire disappeared. The snakes burst forth into the small area that was being protected and swallowed it like a wave.

"Impeccable timing you have, Julie." Sean said, now breathless.

"Did you expect anything less?" Julie said with a chuckle, she looked up at the cloud, which was still pouring out the snakes, "It looks like we'll be fighting this battle in the air! What now?"

Suddenly, Moltres burst forward and sank to the left, almost throwing Sean and Julie off. Before they could say anything, a large burst of bright, pink particle beams narrowly missed them to their left.

_We have to be careful! _Moltres said. _Hang on tight; this is going to get hairy!_

Sean and Julie braced themselves as Moltres started flying off in seemingly random directions. Particle beams came from left and right, from ahead and from behind. They were everywhere. Sean could feel the heat emanating from these beams, if they were hit even once they would be burned to a crisp.

"What do we do?" Julie yelled over the chaos, "We're surrounded!"

_If we can get into one of the snake funnels, we should be able to break into the core of the Cloud and destroy it!_

Sean looked down at the sea of purple and black, he could hear thousands of hisses coming from it. He gulped. They were hundreds of feet above it, but Sean could still imagine the snakes leaping up from it and attacking them.

Suddenly, a barrage of particle beams came from above. Moltres dodged many of them, but on dodging one that was right in front of the bird's head she was hit by one on her left wing. Julie hung on, but Sean was thrown off the back of the bird. He let out a scream as he held out his hand, grabbing onto Moltres' talon.

"Sean!" Julie yelled, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Sean yelled, hanging on for dear life on the claw of Moltres, "How's Moltres?"

_I'm hurt, but luckily I'm a fire type, so the heat from that blast didn't hurt me as much. Hang on tight!_

Sean looked down at the snakes in fear, and he screamed as he lost his focus as Moltres jerked forward. He lost his grip on the talon and began to fall into the sea of hissing below.

"SEAN!" Julie screamed; her voice cracking.

Sean closed his eyes, waiting for the end, but at the last second landed on something else, a hand grabbing his arm and pulling him onto a flying creature. Sean opened his eyes to see Jo in front of him, and to see he was flying on Articuno.

_Careful now! _Articuno yelled, _Sean, hang on this time! _

Sean was disoriented but grabbed onto Jo's abdomen, "I'm fine. Thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure. Now please, turn off all wireless devices and fasten your seatbelts. Turn your seats to the upright position, as we are preparing for takeoff." Jo said, Megan climbing out of her backpack and onto her head.

Moltres nodded towards Articuno as if a plan was made. Jo looked at her bird, "GO!"

Articuno shot towards a funnel of snakes, Moltres moving right below her. Particle beams fired all around them, but the birds didn't flinch. Gracefully they avoided the attacks until they were about ten feet from the waterfall of snakes.

"MEGAN! GO!" Jo yelled, her Pikachu lurching itself off of her head into the middle of the snakes.

"Pikkkaaacchuuuuu!" Megan yelled as a seemingly endless amount of electricity sprung forth from her body, lighting up all of the snakes in the funnel like a Christmas tree. The lightning went up like a chain into the mouth of the funnel. Megan fell onto Moltres' back, Julie catching her safely in her arms.

The snakes were now dead bodies at this point, falling from the sky. Articuno and Moltres flew into the mouth of the funnel, firing flamethrowers and ice beams to stave off any snakes that would still be alive.

They entered The Cloud of Darkness. They were now on a plane covered in a pink mist, a large, shadowy mass lay below them, constantly shifting. One would fall through if they fell from here and fall victim to the snakes that were no longer visible.

"Holy crap, that was intense." Sean said, "Great job, everyone!"

The birds let out a cry of victory, Jo and Julie cheered. Megan was too tired to emit a noise.

They weren't out of danger yet, however. In front of them, a barely-dressed woman appeared. She was voluptuous, almost like a succubus, and had an aura of evil around her. Shadows covered what would be the forbidden parts of her body, and she was decorated in red sashes. Her black hair flowed down her shoulders like a waterfall. She was tempting, but deadly.

"You did a wonderful job getting here" the ambiguous voice said, "But I'm afraid it's time for you to die here."

"Not likely." Julie said, she let Megan climb into her backpack and looked at Moltres, the bird nodded.

Jo whispered to Sean, "When Articuno gets close enough, jump and stab the Cloud. Julie, Moltres, Articuno and I will cover you."

Sean wanted to protest, but did nothing to. He was the only one whose weapon manifested as a blade. He called forth his daggers and began to charge them with electricity.

Moltres went first without a command from Julie. The succubus fired a wall of particle beams at them, but Moltres flew right under it. The bird fired a flamethrower at the succubus which was dispelled right as it had reached her.

Articuno was right behind, clearing the same obstacles Moltres had. The pink mist turned purple as the battle intensified, with Articuno and Moltres making multiple attempts to break the succubus' defenses, trying to get Sean close enough to jump.

Moltres flew behind the succubus, trying to get a jump on her, but instead a particle beam manifested from behind the demon's back and nailed Moltres right in the chest, causing the bird to cry out and fall through the cloud.

_Moltres! _Articuno yelled, now diving at the Succubus from above. _Demon!_

Another particle beam lurched forward and shot Articuno out of the sky, sending her through the cloud with Moltres.

_You have lost the battle! _The voice yelled, _We have defeated the intruders!_

The mist in the cloud had turned black, but a voice seemed to illuminate the darkness.

"DIE, SUCCUBUS!"

The succubus didn't see Sean falling from above. He landed on its shoulders and stuck both blades into its chest, "Go back into the portal of hell you came from!" The electricity charged in the daggers unleashed itself into the succubus, causing it to let out a blood-curdling scream.

_No! This can't be possible! How could we, an omnipotent being…_

The voice cut out as the succubus exploded. The Cloud of Darkness immediately dissipated, sending Sean falling through. The snakes below were gone, and a now dismounted Moltres caught Sean on her back.

_Great work._

Sean sat up and grabbed the bird's neck, "Are you sure you're okay? You took a huge hit."

_I'm alright, but thanks for worrying. I'll need a rest, though. I'm glad I chose to go with Julie, I haven't had this much excitement in centuries._

Sean landed next to the rest of his friends; Articuno was being tended to by Jo, a potion being applied to the area where the particle beam hit. Sean hopped off to get an attack hug from Julie.

"You did it!" She yelled, "We defeated another tyrant!"

Sean smiled as she let go, "And it's all because of you two." He said, looking at Jo and Julie, "You came right when I thought I was about to die twice." He looked at the birds and bowed, "Thank you for joining us."

_It's our pleasure. _Articuno said, _after seeing that display of teamwork from you three, we can't wait to help you finish your quest._

"Without you, we would be dead right now." Jo said, hugging Articuno's neck, "Thank you so much."

Sean looked around, "Uh…what about Jordan and Zapdos?"

Everyone went silent. Where was Jordan? Did he fail his test?

_Zapdos won't respond to our call. _Moltres said, _It's possible he's still testing Jordan._

"But…why is it taking so long?" Julie asked.

_Zapdos isn't very trusting of anyone. It'll take a lot of convincing to get him to join your cause. Don't count Jordan out as dead yet, Zapdos would surely let us know if he killed somebody. _Articuno said.

"Alright" Sean said. He looked around; the flowers were all back as if nothing had happened.

"Let's break here for a bit. That was exhausting." Jo said. Everyone nodded. Megan was already sleeping in Julie's pack.

Sean called out Suicune.

_I see you won. Great job! _Suicune said. He bowed towards the birds, _and thank you for joining us, once again._

_It's been a long time, Suicune._ Moltres said, _Let's catch up while the kids rest._

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Jordan had braced himself for a deadly voltage of electricity, but nothing had happened. Instead, an orb appeared in front of him. He saw the whole battle against the Cloud of Darkness and wished he was there to help the whole time. It killed him to be so helpless.

"Zapdos! What are you trying to do to me?" Jordan yelled.

_I won't kill you. I'll join you, but after you tell me your true reason to fight._

"I told you!" Jordan yelled, "I'm here to protect my friends!"

_Don't you dare lie to me! _The bird let out a piercing scream, _I know why you're fighting, and you're not leaving until you tell me the truth!_

Jordan clenched his fists, what was Zapdos trying to get out of him?

"Fine. I'll play your game." Jordan said, sitting down in front of the orb. He wished he could tell his friends he was O.K.

_Go ahead. We have all of eternity to figure this out._

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**Review please!**


	10. Finale: Lost

**This is what I'm going to call a FINALE chapter, it's just like Chapter 1 where I was constantly switching perspectives between Matt and Parker and the group inside The Void. I'm planning FOUR of these "finales". This isn't the last chapter of Driving Hope (We've just begun, after all) so don't let the title mislead you.**

**And thanks to everyone who is reviewing! KEEP IT UP! I do treasure your reviews! And your edits. I do actually run around and fix the grammar errors you all spot.**

**Enjoy!**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**FINALE:**

**Lost**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Matt threw his hands over his ears as he heard the all-too-familiar _crack_ of The Void opening in the far distance. His stomach dropped. Not here. Not in D.C. This wasn't supposed to happen!

"Raikou!" Matt yelled, "The Void!"

_I'm aware._ Raikou said, running to Matt's side, _Hop on. Darkrai's here and we have to stall him for as long as we can._

"But what about the capitol?"

_It's too late, Matt. We didn't think Darkrai was going to be here. Let's move._

The two left Matt's post; and Matt abandoned the hope he had of saving the nation's capitol. Now, their only hope was to escape.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

_Parker! _Entei yelled, sprinting over to the exhausted boy, _we have to go, NOW!_

"I know, but…" Parker stuttered his words; the loud _crack_ of Voidspace had disoriented him. "…the civil…civilians…"

Entei nodded, _we'll escort the transports out of the city. For now, call back Vibrava and Illumise and get on my back!_

Parker complied, and soon he and Entei were off again, chasing after the civilian transports. They were hoping they weren't too late.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

A loud _crack _could be heard in the far distance. It ripped through the field of flowers and seemed to ripple the inky black sky of The Void. The sound was so intense it caused Jo to sway due to dizziness. Sean covered his ears, and looked up to Suicune.

"I understand you're having catch up time at the moment, but do you know where that came from and why it happened?

Suicune had jumped to his feet by the time Sean started asking the question, _Yes, I do. It's the sound The Void makes when it breaks its dimensional bonds and begins to bridge two parallel worlds_.

"Wait…" Julie said, "That means…"

Jo had mounted Articuno, "It means we have to go find where that sound came from before something bad happens! C'mon!"

Sean turned to Suicune, "Did The Void just open up in our world again?"

_It's more than likely._

"Can we stop it?" Asked Julie.

_If we hurry there is a way, but we need Zapdos, and we don't have much time for that way to be effective._

Sean mounted Suicune, "Well, sitting here isn't doing anything for us or our world. Let's go find where the sound came from!"

Julie mounted Moltres and the group headed towards the sound, not knowing what was about to come.

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Raikou was sprinting towards the source of the crack, knowing that Darkrai would be the most powerful by the Void, and that he'd be near the voidspace that had just opened.

Raikou ran down empty streets with Matt on his back, jumping over dead bodies of soldiers and Pokemon alike. This battle was far from over for both sides.

The two eventually reached the National Mall; the area where the world-famous Smithsonian museums were gathered. They were all centered a large block which was quite literally an area exclusively for grass and a few trees; it was like a small park.

In the middle of this park was the voidspace, and right above it was Darkrai.

"I see him! What's our plan?" Matt yelled, summoning his sword.

_Improvise! _Raikou shouted, coming to a halt in front of the evil legend before him. Darkrai had seen them coming from miles away; the Void granted him an extensive range of sight. His arms were crossed; his red eyes glaring at Matt. Matt could feel blackness seeping into his soul just looking back at him. He began to feel rage at the creature.

"We can take him." Matt said with a grunt, "Raikou, get ready." Matt's sword began to shrink; it turned into a small cylinder. Holes began to appear all around it, and soon it took more of an oval shape.

Matt didn't know previously how to play an ocarina, but for some reason he felt like he'd been playing for years when he took it to his mouth. He played a soft melody, causing the wind to pick up slightly. With each gentle note came an equally gentle breeze, and soon Matt's playing began to intensify. The notes went lower and became more threatening. The wind's harshness picked up with it and soon a tornado began to appear in front of Matt. It was a small funnel, but it was getting bigger and more intense with each note.

Darkrai just stared on.

Matt stepped off of Raikou and kept playing, his fingers moving incredibly fast and his eyes now closed. The tornado grew darker and drew in many leaves at this point; Raikou began to stir while bracing himself against the wind.

Matt continued his playing, Darkrai continued his staring.

The battle had begun.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"Damn it!" Parker yelled, his voice now back to normal, "We were too late!"

The armored vehicles Parker and Entei had fought so hard to protect were destroyed. Parker saw dead bodies of men, women, and children everywhere. He had failed his duty.

"I…no…" Parker said, stepping off of Entei and looking around at the mass grave. They were right in front of the Lincoln Memorial; right in front of the reflecting pool.

The vehicles had been toppled over and then broken into by a Pokemon, it was obvious that the people inside were dragged out and then killed; he saw arms still hanging onto the holes that were created. Parker gazed off into the horror that now was the Lincoln Memorial…a tear running down his cheek.

He heard a cry off in the distance of a small girl he ran to it, Entei close behind. It came from underneath a ripped piece of sheet metal. They approached it and Entei shoved it off. Parker took a look underneath and saw that there was one survivor from the massacre.

That survivor was Mia.

He reached out and picked her up; amazingly, she was unscathed. She was crying out for her momma and poppa. Parker looked at Entei, but the dog just shook his head. The parents were obviously dead, unless they weren't on the convoy and had just sent their young daughter alone, but Parker didn't believe they would've done that to such a fragile child.

Parker hugged the girl close and whispered to her, "Don't cry. It'll be alright."

Mia just cried into Parker's shoulder, screaming for her parents. Her screams got louder and louder, as if they would be loud enough to make them magically appear in front of them. But this wasn't the case. Parker's sadness quickly turned into rage. He whispered to Mia again;

"I'll keep you safe. _Nobody's going to hurt you. I promise._"

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Jordan looked at the orb in front of him and his sprinting friends. He could now hear everything they were saying, he glared at Zapdos.

"That's not enough? You won't help Articuno and Moltres simply because you're toying with me?" He screamed in rage, "What kind of legend are you? You're not evil, because you would've killed me by now, but yet when your friends need your help you just sit here and put the blame on me! What in hell's name is your problem?"

_I'd prefer we stay away from shouting obscenities and get to figuring out your reason for fighting, after all, the clock is ticking. I can indeed close the new voidspace portal, but not for long._

"I'll use obscenities all I want, you fucking asshole!" Jordan screamed.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

"FUCK YOU!"

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

"I see it!" Sean yelled, "The tear in the voidspace, it's right up ahead!"

A small orb could be seen in the far distance, the group was now running (or flying, in Jo and Julie's case) over a very rocky area. Large boulders standing over thirty feet high rose above them, but when a force was applied to them they would turn into a fine white dust. Nothing was the same in the Void.

_We must be swift! _Articuno said, _Moltres, try to communicate with Zapdos. Whatever trial he's administering isn't as important as this._

_He's stubborn, but I'll try. _Moltres responded.

The group continued on, racing against the clock, hoping that they would be able to save their world more trouble than it could handle. Julie realized, however, that the irony of the situation was this;

The world already had more trouble than it could handle.

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Entei looked at Parker with a knowing look; _we have to go, there are no more survivors, of that I guarantee you._

Parker looked at Entei, "Alright, but Mia's coming with us."

_Don't worry, I heard your promise. Quickly, now._

Parker walked over to Entei, a now gently sobbing Mia in his arms, when suddenly he heard the all-too-familiar laugh again.

_It's me this time! _Celebi screeched as a wall of vines erupted in front of him and Entei, a vine grabbing Mia, trying to pull her out of Parker's arms. She started screaming again.

"No!" Parker screamed, throwing his body to the ground to add weight to the load that the ever-growing wall of vines tried to pick up, "You're not taking her!"

A roar erupted to Parker's right as Entei slashed at the vines grabbing Mia, breaking them and setting her free. Parker stood up and with one free hand called out his Vibrava and Illumise. He placed Mia on the ground and looked at Illumise. The pokemon nodded and used grasswhistle, sending the child to sleep. Entei created a dome of fire around her.

"Alright, now I can swear, so c'mon bitch, try and kill me!" Parker screamed, "And don't send one of your clones this time, you're going to fight us in person or not at all."

_Oh, no need to worry about that_, the fairy said as she appeared in front of Parker, _I plan to kill you in person, and swiftly at that._

A large vine with a medium-sized thorn appeared from Celebi's chest and tried to run Parker through, but Parker was too quick for it and grabbed it by the base of the dagger.

"Too slow." He said, suddenly feeling strength he hadn't felt before. He pulled the vine back, whipping Celebi forward, he then spun his arm and smashed her into the ground right before she released her grip on the vine.

Parker jumped back and shouted at Vibrava, "Bug Buzz!"

Celebi was nailed by sound waves and shoved into the ground. A ball of fire appeared in Entei's mouth as he crouched next to her body, ready for a counterattack.

Celebi's body twitched; then began to float upwards. Entei shot a fireball at it, but it simply dissipated around her. She began to laugh manically.

_You seriously thought I was THAT weak?_

She looked up into Parker's eyes, and Parker could see he didn't even put a scratch on her.

_If this is the best humans can muster, then taking over the rest of the world will be easy! _She lifted Parker and his Pokemon up and threw them into the reflecting pool hundreds of feet behind them, sending Parker screaming into the water.

Only Entei remained.

_You've been holding back, Entei. _Said the green witch, _I cannot wait to see what you really have in store for me!_

Entei said nothing. Instead, he let out a loud roar. The roar was proud, and it echoed throughout the entire city.

It was at that moment that the city fell silent, and suddenly the cries of hundreds of Pokemon could be heard.

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

_This is quite the improvisation. _Raikou thought as the tornado grew even larger, it was about to engulf Matt. Trees began to creek around them; he could hear their roots ripping at the earth beneath them. He grunted and took a few steps back so that he, too, wouldn't be sucked in. The funnel began to reach the top of the black sky, Raikou knew what Matt was doing was dangerous.

_Even though a song is causing this, this still must require a massive load of energy from Matt._

Suddenly he heard Entei's roar echo throughout D.C. In a knee-jerk reaction Raikou opened his jaws and echoed the roar.

It was at that moment that it began to rain heavily around Matt and Raikou, and lightning began to crack the sky. Raikou now saw the opportunity for attack. Darkai didn't believe what they were doing would be strong enough to stop him, but Raikou knew he was wrong.

_Matt! Keep it up! We're going to attempt a Maelstrom!_

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

"Maelstrom?" Jo asked, "What's that?"

The group was now at the tear, and they could see into the National Mall. They saw and heard everything, Matt's tornado, Entei's cry, everything.

_It's Raikou's ultimate attack. It's when the forces of a storm combine into a blinding force to obliterate his enemy. He can only perform it under certain conditions though, and Entei's roar combined with Matt's tornado helped create them. Raikou probably believes that his Maelstrom will obliterate Darkrai without a problem, but I know better. The Void is an infinite source of energy, and Darkrai can keep drawing on it until the attack ends. _Suicune said.

"Well…what if Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos try to close it? Will that help?" Julie asked.

_Most certainly. _Articuno said, _the problem here being…_

_Zapdos still isn't responding to my calls to his consciousness. _Moltres finished. _Whatever he's doing, it's too important for us apparently._

"Damn it!" Sean yelled, "Someone tell Zapdos to get off of his fucking high horse and help us already!"

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

"You heard him!" Jordan yelled, "Get off of your fucking high horse and help them already!"

_I am not riding anything, certainly not a horse that is high. I have no idea what he's talking about. _

"When will you help? Can't you see our world is at stake? DAMN IT!"

_I can see everything just fine. We will not make a good team unless we both understand each other fully. I will help when you admit to yourself what your true goal is in this adventure._

"I TOLD YOU, IT'S TO HELP MY FRIENDS!"

_Another lie. I'm not sure I want to work with a liar._

"WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?"

_Because I can see into your soul through your eyes. Would you like a hint?_

"YES, DAMN YOU! Since you seem to know me better than I do!"

_Inferiority._

"What?"

_That's your clue. Inferiority._

Jordan screamed in rage and frustration, "THIS DOESN'T HELP ME AT ALL!"

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Parker was lifted to shore by his Vibrava and Illumise. He had lost his backpack in the pool, but that was the least of his worries.

Mia.

He had to protect Mia. He made a promise to her.

Mia was going to survive.

It was at that moment that Parker began to glow, to radiate his own light. The black sky didn't need to provide him with it…

It was his hope that drove him.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

The cries of the pokemon echoed all over D.C., Entei glared at Celebi. His eyes were now alit with flame; _do you see how many are against you? How many think we may live peacefully with humans and not kill them? You're a monster, Celebi!_

_So I've heard, and nothing has stopped me yet! _Celebi said, _Let's end this chatter, let's finish this battle!_

Entei erupted in flames, his body now coated with fire. He roared and charged at Celebi, who was charging back, radiating a purple aura.

_This is my ultimate attack! _Entei yelled, _These flames are my FLAMES OF PASSION!_

The two clashed, fire and purple aura now locked in battle. Entei and Celebi were constantly pushing at each other's attack, constantly trying to knock the other down. The fires licked at Celebi's face, but not one ember was going through.

_Your flames seem to be dying out quickly. _Celebi said, grunting.

Entei growled, _come, pokemon! Lend me your strength! Continue your cries and allow me to defend you and defeat Celebi!_

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Sean hopped off Suicune and looked at Articuno, "Why is it that only You, Moltres and Zapdos can close this voidspace?"

_It's not exclusive to us. _Articuno replied, _It's just that we're all of the elements Ice, Fire, and Electricity. If Entei and Raikou were here, they could close it with Suicune._

"And why the time restraint?" He asked.

Moltres answered this time, _voidspace grows stronger over time. A tear needs void energy to maintain itself, and since the energy here is limitless it continually draws on an increasingly bigger supply. After a short time it becomes impossible to close it unless you destroy the entire void._

"This tear is then different from the portal we came in through?" Julie asked.

_Yes. The portal was willingly opened, the tear was forcefully opened._

"I'll take it." She responded.

Sean looked at Suicune, "Fine. I'll do it."

"What?" Julie asked, "Do what?"

"My element is electricity, so in theory I should be able to close this, right? I might need Megan's help…" He said, looking at Jo, "But I think I can do this."

_Normal Pokemon can't do it, Sean. _Suicune said, _They're not strong enough._

"Yeah well, last time I checked, Megan isn't a Pokemon in nature, she's human. As am I." Sean said, "And we humans have a knack for pulling out at the hardest times." He called forth electricity to his palms, "So, whaddaya say?"

_Are you sure you want to do this? _Moltres asked, _This is an extremely taxing task._

"Yes! We're running out of time and have no other options!" Sean said, he called for Megan and the Pikachu jumped out of Jo's backpack and ran to Sean's feet. Her cheeks began to spark with electricity.

"Alright, what do we do?" Sean asked.

_Shoot a steady line of electricity at the Void, the energy will converge with ours and begin to suppress the void's. _Articuno said.

"Alright, Megan!" Sean said, aiming his palms at her, "Charge beam!"

At that moment Megan shot a charge beam at the void, and Sean began to pour his electricity into her. Moltres' flamethrower and Articuno's ice beam converged with it and clouded their vision of the battle as the elements tried to close the tear.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Jordan was speechless.

"I…I…"

_You have it now, don't you? Your reason to fight?_

"Yes…I do…" Jordan said, looking at the ground with a solemn expression.

_Tell me._

"I…I…want to prove myself." Jordan said, "I…I'm inferior. I mean…I _feel _inferior. Look at my friends, they're selfless. They're throwing themselves at an impossible situation with this incredible optimism that I haven't seen before. I want to prove to myself…I want to prove to myself that I can be as good as them."

_But you've done brave things before, have you not?_

"Only because I knew the outcome beforehand, or I wasn't the leader. Sean…Julie…Jo…they have all taken the lead in impossible situations, and I never have. I want to prove to everyone...especially Sean….that I can be as strong as them and fight alongside them with the same mentality that they have now. That I will throw myself at any challenge that comes by…and succeed."

_Well done. _Zapdos said, _You have accepted that you're flawed, and in turn have discovered your true purpose. _

Jordan sighed, "I guess I did."

_Well, we can't be late now! Quickly! We're needed at the front!_

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Sean's energy was quickly depleting. He had lifted large amounts of weights before, ran long distances, and fought many strong foes, but nothing compared to what he was experiencing now. He could feel the energy being sucked out of him at a rapid rate, he began to get a headache. He was certain he would fall soon.

"It's wavering!" Jo yelled, "You guys can do it!"

Sean's world began to turn black, he wasn't even sure he was still conscious now.

"Hold on! You're so close now!" Julie screamed.

Sean fainted right as Zapdos took his place.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

The storm was blinding, nobody could see beyond an inch of their face, the wind was blowing at over one hundred miles per hour, and Raikou and Matt were in the middle of all of it.

Raikou crouched, ready to jump into Matt's now-large tornado. He could feel the voidspace fluctuating, it was now or never.

_Matt! I'm ready! _Raikou said, _Continue playing! _He let out a loud roar as he jumped into the Tornado. Immediately it wrapped around his body along with the rain and winds, turning into a large spear of sorts that aimed right at Darkrai above the Void.

Matt opened his eyes and could see inside the Void now, he could see everyone working together to close the tear.

Raikou's slow-moving attack was only feet away from the cocky Darkrai now, it was going to be a direct hit.

Then Matt saw something in the Void that made his heart drop. A ripple, like a droplet of water, flowed throughout the tear. The ripple caused all movement on that side of the void to stop.

He immediately knew what that meant. Raikou had said that time flow between this world and the void was inconsistent.

The group inside the void was frozen in a time inconsistency.

The Void stopped fluctuating.

_MAELSTROM!_

The slow-moving torpedo-like attack hit Darkrai, but it was soon retaliated with a large burst a dark energy. The once-massive attack was swatted away like a fly with Void energy. The rain stopped, and suddenly Matt felt his energy drain right out of him. He fell to his knees.

And then he heard Darkrai's laugh. It didn't sound human like the other voices of the legends. It sounded like a demon's. He was certain that if Satan had a laugh, this was what it sounded like.

And then he spoke.

_Resistance is futile. I will sacrifice you to the Void! Right here, right now!_

Matt's body froze, it was locked in place, he couldn't move. He then saw the voidspace expanding.

"No!" He screamed.

_We're getting out of here! _He heard Mew scream. The pink Pokemon appeared in front of him and a purple flash emitted from him.

Right as the voidspace reached Matt's position, he was gone.

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

The voidspace was expanding; Entei could see it through the flames. He could _feel _it. He knew it was over.

At that moment Celebi threw him off of her, swatting his attack aside like a fly. She laughed and looked down at the fire-dog.

_And that's where your passion takes you? _She shrieked in laughter as she watched Entei struggle to get up.

_Give it up, already! You are going to die, but after I kill that human girl right in front of your very eyes!_

Celebi floated over to the globe of fire and pushed it aside with psi-energy. She found the sleeping girl inside.

She smiled, _sleeping like a baby, is that what the humans call it?_

Entei could only roar back in defiance.

_Well, now she'll be….what do they say? Pushing dai…_

A loud shot was heard, and Celebi screamed in pain. Entei looked in the direction of the shot and found the president of the United States, Barack Obama, standing there with a gun.

He ended up listening to Matt after all.

Celebi was gripping her should, making hissing sounds as she felt the most intense pain she had in a while. _Filthy human! How dare you attack me with such a petty weapon!_

"This petty weapon seems to have wounded you, so I suggest you stop talking." Obama said, leaning into the circle and picking up Mia, he pointed the gun at Celebi, "Now die."

The gun flew out of Barack's hand. Celebi glared at him, _FOOL! That won't defeat me! _She prepared an energy ball, but didn't see the large arrow of light coming from behind her. It was cloaked in fire, and Obama swore he saw a young couple flying beside it. They were both glaring at Celebi, as if they were defending something dear to them.

Like a child.

Like Mia.

The arrow struck Celebi square in the back; she let out a cry of pain as she fell to the ground, now bleeding out.

_You…you…_ she stuttered, now looking at Parker, who was standing above her.

"We beat you. Bitch."

She chuckled, _think again._

A future sight attack blew everyone off of their feet and onto the ground as vines enveloped them, slowly closing over their necks. Celebi was going to strangle them.

_Goodbye, humans._

_NO! _Jirachi's voice screamed as she appeared in front of the group, _we're getting out of here!_

In a flash of purple light, the vines were no longer strangling anyone. Celebi coughed, _They're gone! Damn it! _She felt that she still had energy left, but she was to die soon. She looked at the oncoming void and had an idea. She laughed maniacally as she used the last of her energy to warp to Darkrai.

**I_I_I_I_I**

Parker, Matt, Raikou, Entei, Mia, Jirachi, Mew, and Barack Obama looked out onto D.C. as it was slowly swallowed by the Void.

"It's just like Chicago…" Parker said, coughing.

Matt looked at the President, "What are we going to do now?"

Obama looked at them, "I believe that's your call. D.C. has been lost, that much can be seen, but it's not your fault. It's mine. I didn't listen to you, and now the whole world has paid for it. We have a secret base in the Appalachian Mountains; so that's where we're headed, but the rest is up to you."

"Wait…" Parker said, "You're saying…"

"I'm your figurehead. You two are co-presidents of the United States of America."

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

**END PART 1**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**


	11. Trial: Alone

**And it's been like 4 months since I last updated. I'm such a terrible author. I'm sorry. I'll get back to this now.**

**-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 11: Trial: Alone**

**-o-o-o-o-o-o**

The image of Raikou sped up. The heroes saw the pokemon be knocked back by Darkrai and the image become enveloped in darkness.

The birds stopped the assault.

"What just happened?" Julie asked, "Did we…lose?"

_We didn't do anything wrong…_Suicune said, _there was just a…time skip._

"WHAT?" Jo yelled, "You mean we were frozen in time?"

_Yes. To them we looked frozen, but to us they're the ones who sped up. The Void and our world have time inconsistencies, remember?_

"So now what?" Julie asked, she was responded with a loud _CRACK,_ similar to the one Matt and Parker heard in Chicago.

_BRACE YOURSELF! _Moltres yelled.

Everyone felt themselves being torn apart as the world around them turned black.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Julie woke up in a terrifying place. She was lying with her back propped up against a wall, her head looking down to her feet. Her body ached all over. She didn't want to move. All she could see was a strange purple rock-like surface that she was sitting on. She didn't want to look up. She just wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep for the next thousand years and hope that all of the world's problems would solve themselves by the time she woke up.

That wasn't why she was here. With a groan she lifted her head up and looked around. The purple rock was all around her, she was in a cavern-like area. The rock was strangely smooth, as if someone had put sandpaper to it and worked on it for millions of years. The surface of it was so slick it was going to be hard to keep her footing without slipping.

She looked around for a sign of the others. Nothing. She looked down a single tunnel that stretch on into the darkness before her and nothing else. She was alone, in an area she had never seen the likes of before. A lump grew in her stomach; where was she? Where were the others? How was she possibly going to get out of this without their help?

She shook her head; no. This isn't the first time she was alone. She's fought her own battles before. Why was this one any different? In the end she knew she was going to find them and they would continue on their journey together.

Hopefully.

Why were doubts coming into her head now? She did her best to ignore them as she braced herself against the wall before her and shimmied her way back onto her feet. Once she was standing tall on the slippery rock and the aching in her body had started to subside, she took a careful step forward.

To no avail. Immediately she slipped onto the ground, falling on her back only inches away from the wall behind her. She let out a scream of pain; this was the hardest rock she had ever landed on. It almost seemed impossible just _how slick _this rock was.

She regained her composure and thought for a moment, how to maneuver this surface? If Moltres was here the bird could easily fit in the cavern and fly her forward, but that wasn't an option. If Suicune was here he would create an ice bride with more friction than the floor, but that was out of the question. Jo would just make the floor less smooth and more grainy; making walking over it comparable to walking on sand.

Of course, she had none of this help. For the first time in a while Julie swore,

"FUCK!"

That felt good. Now that her emotions were under control, Julie decided to conjure her staff. Once done, she slowly hoisted herself up on it; making sure not to put too much weight on it so that she didn't slip again. This was worse than walking on ice.

Once standing she decided to shoot a jet of water straight forward and listen for a reaction at the other side of the tunnel. She lifted her staff and fired a powerful jet of water straight ahead of her, but the force was too much for her feet to hold against and she was thrown back into the wall behind her.

"DAMN IT!" She yelled, "I can't believe something as simple as friction is going to be the thing that kills me!"

She relaxed against the wall, placing her staff in her lap, and thought. Was this what her brother was talking about? Was this the way she was to die? She always found herself wondering this in hard situations. She thought she was going to die when she faced Celebi in Chicago. She thought she was going to die when she faced Moltres. She thought she was going to die when she was fighting the Cloud of Darkness. Now she thought she was going to die in this cave.

Julie wondered; why would this time be any different from the other ones? Why was this the day she was designated to die? Why should she be so worried about something inevitable? Her brother said she was going to die if she continued in this war, but in the end _all _humans die. Why should she give up now?

She wondered if her brother was telling the full truth. Was she going to die in this war? Or was she just going to die afterwards? He was very vague about her death.

She sighed. She didn't know. What she did know was that being scared of death was stupid. Especially when she had the responsibilities she did to her world. Yes. She couldn't give up now. She cleared her mind once more and re-evaluated the situation.

The floor had almost no friction. Okay. That much she knew. The rock was thick and there was no way she could blast through it with her water. She looked at the wall behind her, remembering what it felt like to fly back into it.

Fly back into it…that was it! The blast of the water jet she tried to use pushed her backwards. What if she just continued the jet for a while and slid through the cave? It wouldn't hurt much since the floor was almost perfectly smooth. It was a natural slide.

She nodded. She spun around to face the wall and pointed her staff straight at it; her knees curling up to her chest. She put both hands on the staff, took a deep breath, and fired the most powerful jet of water she could conjure at the wall.

It worked. She shot through the cave like a bullet, going at a speed she could hardly comprehend. The cave stretched on behind her as she focused on maintaining the powerful blast of water before her. Her hair whipped in front of her, obscuring her vision. She didn't care. She was aware that hitting a wall at this speed was sure to be fatal, but she didn't care. She kept going, going, going. Her will the only thing propelling the water before her. If she were to stop now she wouldn't have the strength to keep going.

Without warning she felt the ground beneath her disappear. Immediately she put a stop to the jet, her body screaming at her in exhaustion as she plummeted downwards. She didn't even look to see what was below her as she braced her entire body for a potentially deadly impact.

She slammed into a large basin of water below her. The water surface felt like concrete when she hit it, but it quickly gave way to the pleasures of the free-floating water beneath. She had made it.

The water was rejuvenating her. She figured it must've been because that was her element. It would make sense that she would receive more energy while submerged. She also discovered she had the ability to breathe underwater. Perfect. She opened her eyes and looked around.

Nothing. Again. Nothing. Well, this was better than a frictionless cave. Now she could at least move around the vast blue emptiness and see if it was actually as barren as it made out to be. All she could see around her was crystal-blue water. She smiled as the last bit of her energy came back to her. She felt like a fish. Or a mermaid. Either way, she felt alive down here. She swam around a little bit, forgetting her worries and instead getting used to the feeling of swimming underwater while breathing. She wondered how she ever dived before without being able to breathe under here. It felt incredible.

In the middle of her whimsy she caught something large and white out of the corner of her eye. It moved fast, so she didn't get a good glimpse of it. But it scared her. She froze and conjured her staff, now made of crystal leading up to the dragon's head at the stop, now made of a brilliant sapphire with jade eyes. She must be more powerful under here too.

She felt a jet stream of water hit her back and she spun around, nothing. Something was after her. She knew it. Its speed was incredible, and she really didn't want to see what it was. She needed to find a way out of the basin; if she did that she would be one step closer to reuniting with her friends.

She looked down. More water. But there had to be a bottom. She shot down the basin, kicking as hard as she could to increase the distance between her and the large, white monster. She could feel its presence behind her. It was in pursuit. It was dangerous. She increased her speed, but she could feel it creeping closer and closer by the second.

After a mere minute of swimming Julie could make out the bottom of the chasm. She smiled; she was almost in the clear. In her enjoyment she accidentally slowed down and felt something large and slimy wrap around her ankle and yank her up. She let out a piercing scream that reached no one's ears in the water. She looked behind her to see exactly what had a hold of her.

A kraken. A giant kraken. The thing was almost a translucent white, it's giant head shaped like a squid's with a black stripe running down the middle. It must've had somewhere around 20 tentacles and been around 100 feet across, tentacles unextended.

This was going to be a hard-fought battle.

Julie was pulled forward by the beast, its tentacle attempting to move her under its head and into its giant beak. She let out a yell as she jabbed her staff into a tentacle. The beast let out a shriek as the tentacle loosened its grip on her, allowing her to wriggle out and move a safe distance away from the kraken.

She quickly examined it. There didn't seem to be a weak spot. She knew if it was able to get her under its beak she would be crushed instantly. She needed to stay away from the tentacles, but she needed a way to kill it. The only way to do that, it seemed, would be to get up close.

Before she could come up with a solution a tentacle shot out at her. She dove and screamed as it slammed into purple rock behind her, debris floating up to the surface of the water. She kept diving as more and more tentacles did the same thing in an attempt to pin her against the wall. She reached the bottom and looked around. She could see a small hole she could squeeze through in front of her. That was her exit.

She bolted to it but the Kraken saw her and blocked her exit, its body walling the hole. She looked at the beast and showed waved her staff. A blue dragon appeared at her feet and curled around her, its head appearing at her left shoulder and its tail poking out behind her right leg.

"Fine. We'll play your way." She said. The Kraken roared at her, accepting her challenge.

Another tentacle shot out at her, she dove under it once more and thrust upwards with her staff, it penetrated the Kraken's skin. The dragon shot up into the tentacle through the staff, its head becoming larger as it opened its jaw and ripped the tentacle clean off the beast. Black blood came pouring out of the hole it made. She cheered; this was her first victory over the beast. But it was short lived, in her celebration a tentacle was able to close in around her without her seeing it, crushing the dragon and binding her body. She was unable to wave her staff.

She was quickly being drawn into the beast's mouth, she need a plan, fast. She knew if anyone else was here to help this beast would be no challenge at all. But she's alone. She imagined herself as water, slipping through the beast's tentacles and being able to make her escape. If she could do that, she would be invincible underwater.

She closed her eyes just as she saw the beak, and immediately she felt the grip on her disappear. She opened her eyes to see the beak of the Kracken above her, but as she looked around, she couldn't see herself.

Then it hit her.

_She had turned into water._

She smiled. She could just escape right now and forget about the Kraken, but that was too easy. Too good a fate for the monster. She was going to end its life here and now. She called forth her staff and thrust it into the ground. Now she had an idea.

She put her palm on the head of the staff, the jade eyes' of the dragon's head glowing brightly, and focused. She could feel the water whirling around her. She placed her feet on the ground and continued her focus; a vortex spinning around her.

The Kraken let out a scream as it was sucked into the giant whirlpool; it was tossed around in the turbulent waters. It tried to swim away, but its tentacles couldn't keep up. Soon all of its arms were tangled; it had no way to fight back.

Julie stopped the whirlpool and flew up to the giant beast. Its eyes were located on either side of its black stripe about halfway up its skull. She could easily fit into one of them. She re-solidified herself so the beast could see its prey fighting back.

"Die, you oversized shrimp."

Her dragon manifested itself around her and lunged into the eye of the beast, tearing it out and killing the Kraken from the inside. Blood gushed out of its eye socket as the beast writhed and screamed in pain until it stopped moving altogether, its lifeless body floating aimlessly in the chasm.

Julie smirked, "I wasn't dying today."

She swam back to the bottom and found the hole she could fit into. She peered into it and saw a short tunnel with a bright light at the end.

She smiled and squeezed into the hole, swimming towards her next challenge.


	12. Heart of Man, Heart of Pokemon

**-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 12: Heart of Man, Heart of Pokemon**

**-o-o-o-o**

The sky is black.

The world is being torn asunder.

Matt and Parker have been fighting against Celebi's onslaught for the past 2 years. Now, both of them 19, they have undergone some changes. Parker was now filled out, his body pulsing with muscle and his eyes filled with a relentless determination to win. Matt has also gained muscle, but not nearly as much as Parker. Instead, Matt has become a master strategist of sorts, able to predict Celebi's next move before she even decides it. His knowledge became invaluable as the U.S. tried to link up with other countries fighting against the onslaught of pokemon. The U.K. had sent over a large shipment of troops by boat, but they were all devoured by a school of Gyrados under Celebi's command. France was obliterated in a day as their president had tried to appease the pokemon army, not knowing that Celebi wouldn't take prisoners. China was still free, but too far away to be of any help to the U.S. Every country but Canada and Mexico had been useless to the U.S. resistance, which was now considered to be the main force against the Pokemon as Matt and Parker were the heads of it.

There was, however one country that would never return a message sent to them by any other country in the world.

Japan.

Parker was convinced it was because they were the first to go, but Matt thought otherwise. He had not forgotten the terrorists, and he was considering the fact of one section of the human race actually being able to negotiate with Celebi. The case with France made the idea seem a bit off, but it was possible. It was a Japanese researcher who brought pokemon back in the first place, after all.

Parker was obsessed with protecting Mia. The girl was now 5 years old; her hair was long and brown. Her eyes a deep blue. She was extremely mature for her age, and Parker wished he could give her a childhood that she was unfairly cheated out of. In many ways, Mia was Parker's child. He made sure she got the food, sleep, and play she needed to grow up normally. There was a boy around her age, Tanner, who he had her play with. They became great friends. Tanner, the slender blonde with brown eyes who was only two months older than the little girl, has become sort of a role model for Mia. Parker found this funny and let Tanner and Mia figure out who they were by themselves.

Meanwhile, when he wasn't taking care of Mia, Parker was with Matt, Obama, and two other people planning the next move for the resistance. One was a young, red-haired woman name Johanna, who was everybody's mother. She handled hospitality and humanities regulations for the troops in order to keep up their morale. The other was an older, white-haired crotchety old man named Shrub; his nickname in the Vietnam War. Together, the five of them created the Council of Freedom (a name obviously picked by Americans) which, in essence, was humanity's final stand against the onslaught of deadly Pokemon.

The council was meeting in a makeshift war-room outside New York City, the last major city in the world not to be taken by the Void. It was their plan to keep it that way and have New York be a beacon of hope for the rest of humanity-a beacon humanity could hopefully rally around. The room was located in a small, teepee-like tent with a large map of the five boroughs of the city. There were large pen marks all over it showing enemy-occupied, contested, and allied territory. There were a lot of contested zones; all of Manhattan and Long Island were up for grabs. Meanwhile allied territory was in Queens.

Parker gazed at the map, a campfire lighting it up in the dead of night "Look, we need Manhattan, we know that for sure. The place is abundant in resources, and we can use them. We're almost out of food and fresh water, and there hasn't been any rain in the area for a month. We need to get Manhattan quickly."

"Parker," Matt said, his tone showing an air of superiority, "You forget that the enemy is trying to lock us out of Manhattan for that very reason. If we don't get Long Island first and cut off another spot for their troops, we can easily overwhelm Manhattan and claim dominance over the city.

"But the resources…!" Parker yelled, "People are about to STARVE, Matt!"

Matt readied himself to yell something back, but Johanna stepped in, "Boys, please. You can't fight in here, this is the war room. If we don't agree on a plan right away, we're cooked."

"Matt's plans have saved us before; we pushed back the assault on the Appalachian Mountains because of his guerilla strategies and have been able to push our forces all the way up here because of him. It's almost winter, and in order to get those supplies securely we need to take Long Island." Said Shrub.

Parker sighed, looking at Obama but getting no response. He looked at his friends and nodded, "Fine. We'll assault Long Island first. But how?"

Matt pointed to the water surrounding the borough, "Okay, Jirachi said that with the help of Mew she can teleport a large amount of water pokemon here. Those Pokemon will take the bridge connecting Long Island to Manhattan. We'll then fly in the rest of our troops with airplanes and flying Pokemon. They'll deploy from the bridge and push to the center of the island, where we can expect to see the base of enemy operations. From there all we have to do is put down a heavy assault on that one position; once the base is captured the island is ours. We'll send out recon squads to eliminate any more enemies. Once we have Long Island, we can continue to attack Manhattan."

"And our plan for that assault?" Parker asked cynically.

"We will figure it out after our result on Long Island." Matt said, "Hopefully our losses will be minimal, but you can never be sure."

"Right, well then." Johanna said, standing up and looking at the room with gentle eyes,"I'll be off serving dinner to the troops. When can I tell them our assault will take place?"

"Tomorrow." Matt said, "We have no time to lose."

Johanna nodded, "Of course." She walked out of the teepee.

"I'm off to bed then," said Parker, leaving the tent without a further glance at the rest of the council. He was a tad upset Matt didn't listen to his plan, but he knew he was probably right. Having Long Island and Queens before attacking Manhattan would even out the number of bridges they had control over with the enemies'. That would mean reinforcements for both sides would have an equal opportunity to reach the final battle for the city.

His tent was small, it was square and purple with a twin-sized cot on the inside. There was also a basin where he kept drinking water as well as a large, comfy oversized dog bed for Entei. He would often talk late into the night with his Pokemon, growing very connected to the creature. He often wondered what would happen if they won this war, would he and Entei have to part? He didn't know if he could bear it. That and his Flygon and Illumise would miss him too.

He walked into his tent and lied down on his cot, looking straight up into the fabric above him. It was getting cold, so he had a couple of wool blankets on top him now. The sun was setting outside, meaning Entei would return soon so they could have their evening discussion.

He saw the front flap of his tent open out of the corner of his eye, he turned his head to see Entei slumped over on the dog bed, looking exhausted.

"How was scouting?"

_Tiring. The bridge connecting Long Island to Manhattan is infested with Beedrill and Mothim. We're going to need to clear them out before we can land troops there. Also, the water surrounding Long Island is infested with Gyrados. We'll need some way to beat them._

"Could we air-drop some Voltorbs and Electrodes to zap 'em?"

_It's a possibility, yes, but we'll need to rescue them before they drown. _

"Jirachi and Mew…"

_Yes. They said they have stored enough energy to do two large transports of Pokemon, but that would be the extent of their power for the battle. They'd be useless until a victory or loss is decided._

Parker pondered, "It might just be a risk worth taking."

_I hope so. We haven't come up with any other way. The sky is still black, too. _

"It has been for 2 years. Will Arceus ever come down?"

_I wouldn't question it. It's a good thing we still can see the sun._

"I agree. We'd be lost when it comes to telling time otherwise."

_Exactly. _Entei sighed, he seemed really depressed _I miss Suicune's presence._

"Oh?" Parker said, not realizing that the dogs could have possibly had a deep friendship rooted in them.

_Yes. He was always just like the water in the ocean, calm. Yet fierce. He was always the voice of reason between Raikou and me. It's hard to have gone this long without even a word from him._

"Yeah…" Parker said, putting his hands behind his head, "I wonder how they're doing…if the time freeze has ended for them yet."

_I sent a squad of Taillow to figure out the answer to that question. They'll tell me if they can see the four. If not, then they've continued their mission._

"If they have, I hope they're O.K." Parker said, "We didn't get a big chance to get to know them, but we need them. Mew was right. Without them we can't possibly win this war. Not by ourselves."

_Just remember Parker, we may not be able to win, but we aren't going to lose. Not until they come back, that is when our fate will be decided. _

"Right." Parker said, "And it is our fate to win this. I know we can."

Entei let out a laugh, _yes. Now go to sleep, little one. We'll be in the second wave of troops, but we plan to attack at the crack of dawn._

Little one. That's what the "wise" Entei called Parker ever since he took over as co-president of the United States. He liked the irony of it all.

"Alright, Entei. Sleep tight, don't let Darkrai bite."

And with that the two partners quickly fell asleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Okay, you know I'm back in business when I put up yet another chapter ^^**

** I would enjoy a review. Tell me how you think the plot and characters are going…you know. The usual stuff. Thanks guys!**


	13. The Oracle

**Chapter 13: The Oracle**

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Julie surfaced in a dark room, dimly lit by a few sputtering torches. She found the edge of the pool she was in and with great effort hauled herself onto the surface, her feet almost slipping on the rock beneath her. She took notice of the blackness and cursed Parker's absence-she could really use his abilities right now.

Speaking of abilities, Julie felt completely drained after her last battle. Being underwater helped, it eliminated her need to conjure water; however the physical strain of swimming the entire time on top of fighting the incredibly large kraken was enough to exhaust three humans.

She, of course, was not a normal human, but the fact remained that she felt as if she were about to collapse. She would have, too, if she weren't confident that she would wake up somewhere entirely unpleasant, if at all.

With the last of her energy she summoned her staff once more, not sure if she were able to put its magical properties to use, but it would be good for support and, if it came down to it, she was positive she could put a large dent in the head of the next creature that tries to attack her.

She slowly moved further into the room, noticing how small it was compared to the large basin she just found herself in. The blackness was thick where the light didn't penetrate it, and it was hard to get a good grip on what was going on. She carefully prodded the area in front of her with her staff, making sure there were no holes, triggers, or traps waiting to maim, incapacitate or otherwise kill her. She's had enough of that.

After walking a good hundred feet or so her staff connected with a large piece of stone. The staff stopped with a jolt, almost knocking Julie over due to the near-frictionless rock beneath her. She sighed; keeping a firm grip on her staff as she slowly approached the rock.

Nothing happened upon her approach. She noticed that the stone's height ended around her waist. Curious to see what it was doing in the middle of the room, she placed the butt of her staff on it and probed the surface. She could make out intricate carvings, and some sort of node in the center. When she was confident there was no immediate danger, she reached her hand out to trace the stone before her.

The torches reacted to her touch of the rock, suddenly flaring to life, revealing that the only object in this room was the stone slab, which she now assumed to be an altar of some sort. She looked around for an exit, and saw two different paths leading out of the room directly in front of her. She made note of their distance from her in case she needed to make a quick escape.

The top of that altar was filled with intricate runes, a language lost in the passage of time. Julie noticed in the center of the altar was a picture of Darkrai. Was this used by a cult that existed in the void? How had this gotten here?

And, most importantly, what was its purpose?

Julie studied the altar for a few minutes before she heard a familiar gallop, followed by an intruding thought in her mind.

_Julie! Thank the heavens you're safe!_

She lookedup from the altar to see Suicune charging into the room through the entrance to her right. Suicune created ice in front of his footing so he could come to a halt more easily on the rock. He looked Julie straight in the eyes, _What have you found? The others are waiting in the room I just came from!_

"I have no idea, can you read these carvings?" Julie asked; her voice soft as a result of her energy loss.

_These runes are ancient. Pokemon wrote in them before Arceus was exiled from this world._

"Can you read it?"

_Some. I can tell it speaks of a future, of a prophecy that must be fulfilled. It seems that an offering of blood is needed for the full power of the altar to be released._

Julie pondered the statement for a minute, then looked at Suicune, "Do you have a knife, perhaps?"

_Julie! No! We have no idea what this altar does! There's a good third of the script I am unable to read!_

"Then to find out what it wants to say we're going to have to activate it, right?" Julie grinned coyly, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

_Clearly you're throwing all caution to the wind with this insane idea._

Julie looked at the node in the center, it was small, enough to hold a few drops of blood before it overflowed. She morphed her staff back into a sword and made a small cut on her palm, just enough to draw a few drops of blood.

She reached her hand out toward the node.

_Are you sure, Julie?_

"Suicune, we didn't get this far without taking any chances, you know."

The legend sighed and backed up a few steps as Julie let her blood drip into the node. It only took 3 drops for it to overflow, and then the reaction occurred.

The blood seemed to multiply in volume as it magically spread through the crevices of the altar, revealing pictures and patterns Julie had not seen before. In these patterns she saw a picture depicting Darkrai fighting against four symbols, those of lightning, fire, light, and earth. She noticed the absence of water and wind. Darkrai did not seem to be winning or losing against these forces, but he didn't seem to be losing either. Rather, it seemed as if he was locked in a stalemate. Neither side able to budge with their own forces.

_Incredible. _

"I'm not sure what this means…."

All conversation ceased when the room suddenly turned green, the torches, pool, and exits vanishing as if they didn't exist. Suddenly, blue hologram-like figures appeared before them.

_This! I know what this is! An oracle!_

"The altar predicts the future?"

_Yes…well, one path of the future, that is. There are multiple ways one can change the future, you see. What this oracle does is show the result of everyone's actions if their mindsets and personalities remain unchanged._

"But humans change constantly, so whatever we're about to see is useless, right?"

_It could be, but while people's attitudes and habits may change, it's very hard to change the base personality of a person. What we're about to see is what's likely to happen._

__"Why is it here of all places?"

_We banished all Oracle Stones to the Void as soon as humans started using them to change the future for their own needs. Some knowledge should stay hidden, some events have to happen, we couldn't allow humans to possibly hurt their own future by seeing into it and trying to change it._

__"But you're about to let me see into this?"

_I think at this time what we're about to see would benefit if we held the knowledge, seeing the world in its current state. What we're about to see is very important._

Julie gulped. She hoped it was something good.

The figures twisted and morphed to reveal the forms of Sean and Jordan. They were fighting together against shadow-like creatures, their pokemon tearing right through their enemies' defenses. They looked battered, but confident. She smiled. At least these two will still be fighting bravely in the future.

Soon Sean and Jordan's images twisted again, now morphing into Parker and Jessica. These two were fighting a large, undefined presence, but again, they were fighting bravely and did not seems anywhere close to giving up. She saw another human next to Jessica, a shorter girl. Perhaps Megan will regain her form?

The forms twisted once more, but shrunk. They were close to the ground now, only raising up to Julie's knee. She walked closer to the holograms as they formed what she feared most; two headstones.

One for her, that she already knew.

The other, she assumed, was for Matt.

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

Sean sat down on the cold stone, "What're we supposed to do now? Suicune doesn't even know his way out of here."

Jordan shrugged, "I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, Amaranth's soul is in here."

Sean looked at Jordan doubtfully, "Under what evidence?"

"A hunch."

"Well that's reassuring." He said this almost spitefully.

"Hey!" Jordan yelled, "Look, we've been operating on nothing but your hunches this entire time! Why can't I have one? I think we were sent here for a reason, I think Amaranth is held prisoner here!"

"Then tell me where to look, Jordan! Tell me where to look!" Sean snapped back. He was sick of this. He was exhausted, not physically-the void wouldn't allow that-but mentally. He was tired of guessing. Of fighting. Of chasing. Of hoping. He was tired of all of it. He hadn't even graduated high school yet! Why did they all have to put up with this now?

Jordan was about to yell something back but Jo stopped him, seeing a now-somber look on Sean's face. A tear rolled down Sean's eye.

"Look, Jordan...I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." He was sincere, "I'm just...I wish this wasn't so hard. I wish our journey wasn't so vague and endless. I want to end this now, but I know that no matter what happens, this won't be over until we leave the Void and save our world."

Jordan nodded, "Right. I'm sorry for snapping at you, too. I could've approached that a lot better, but for some reason I felt attacked. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, and I assume by you apologizing you've already accepted mine" Sean said with a wry smile.

"Nope. I'm still extremely pissed." Jordan said with a wink.

"Well, all that being said and done, I think it might be worth exploring this place for Amaranth's soul." Jo interjected. Megan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Jordan probably has something there." Sean said, "Once Suicune comes back and finds Julie, we'll explore this place and see if we can find it."

"Jordan smiled, "Good."

I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I

The images cut out, with Julie on her knees, "No...I won't believe it..."

_That you and Matt are supposed to die?_

"No. I've known about my death." She said, Suicune gave her a puzzled look, but she ignored it, "What came after that, though...it's impossible. It won't happen. We've come _too far_ for that to happen."

_As things stand, this is how things will end. _Suicune sighed, _It's...hard to grasp. But the good thing is now that we've seen it, we can take steps to prevent it._

Julie nodded, "Yup. And before I die I'm making sure I prevent it."

_Shouldn't you be preventing your own death, Julie?_

Julie smiled, "Suicune, I'm surprised! There's no way for me to know how I'm going to die. I put myself in life-threatening situations daily, you know that because you're always alongside me when I do so. The only way I can even affect how I'm going to die is by not fighting anymore, and you know I can't do that. There's too much at stake. Plus, that might not even be how I'm supposed to die. I could die from disease. From walking off a cliff. In a car accident..." she paused and gave the legend a solemn look, "There's nothing I can do."

Suicune nodded, _I suppose you're right on all of it. It's just..._

"What?"

_It's hard to understand this...but we legends have been watching humans the whole time you've been walking this planet. I was able to see whoever I wanted in my sleep, I would follow whole lives of people to pass the time. When they died, I did not feel the slightest bit of emotion. But now, thinking of your death..._

Julie walked over to Suicune and hugged his neck, "Don't worry, I'm not going to run off and kill myself to fulfill something a rock told me was going to happen. No, I'm going to fight to stay alive and help you all for as long as I'm allowed."

Suicune moved his nuzzle into her, _Humans...Celebii is wrong. You are not a scourge. You are not the manifestation of all things evil. You're genuine beings. Now I see why your pokemon partners are so attached to you._

Julie smiled.

"Suicune, we're going to save this world, together. That horrible future will not become reality."

_Human and pokemon, working together..._

"Living in peace."

_And creating a better world._

I_I_I_I_I_I_I


	14. A Bite Out of the Big Apple

**HOLY CRAP A CHAPTER**

**I_I_I_I_I**

**Chapter 14: A Bite Out of the Big Apple**

**I_I_I_I_I**

The morning of the assault arrived. The anticipation around the militarized camp was high; everyone was involved in this battle in one way or another. From children gathering stones for makeshift bunkers in the camp to tailors weaving bandages, everyone was getting ready for the fight. Everyone was treated to a large meal the night before; for many of those who ate it, it would be their last.

Parker was standing inside his tent, pulling his bulletproof vest on over his undershirt. Pokemon didn't use guns, but the vest was good protection against projectiles of any sort. He proceeded to put on a reinforced jacket over the vest. Conventional means were the best they had for protection at the moment; they had lost the technology to create pokemon dampeners when the Black Hand was swallowed into The Void.

Parker heard a small voice outside his tent.

"Parker? Can I come in? Please?" It was Mia. It was still dark, and even though there were plenty of lights in the camp he was worried about Mia's safety at night. The children at the nursery must not have been able to sleep all night with the anticipation, he decided. She probably needed to talk to him to calm herself down.

"Of course, Mia." Parker said, his voice soft.

Mia walked in, her head toward the ground. Her movements were very precise and calculated, s if Parker's tent contained a minefield that would kill her if she stepped in the wrong spot.

Parker went down on one knee, "Is something wrong?"

The girl looked up at him, her big eyes wide with fear, "Are we going to die today?"

Parker sighed. Mia wasn't even seven yet and she's worried about dying. This was not a way for children to live. He put out his arm, a sign for Mia to take her place on his knee. She did so, and Parker took her hand in his.

"I'm going to be honest, Mia. A lot of people will die today." Mia's eyes began to fill with tears, but Parker wasn't finished, "However, I guarantee you this; neither of us will die."

"What about Matt?" Mia asked, a sob about to break into her voice.

"Him neither." Parker said. A small smile formed on his lips, "Mia, we're going to sleep in a nice hotel tonight, I promise. You'll get a big bed all to yourself! With big, comfy pillows and blankets!"

Mia's tears began to disappear, "Really?"

"Yes!" Parker said, his voice beginning to hitch in his feigned excitement, "And maybe we'll be able to fill up a pool with lots of water, and we can go swimming! Just like you hear the big kids talk about. We'll have New York City back, and we'll all live easier there." He smirked, "If it's still there, I'll even take you to the Toys R Us store!"

"REALLY?" Mia shouted, her excitement now totally taking over, removing any hint of sadness still left in her face, "Like the big kids talk about? With all the toys you can ever imagine in one place?"

"That's the one!" Parker said. Mia jumped off of his leg, Parker stood back up. He ruffled her hair, "Now, it's early, have you taken your bath yet?"

Mia looked at the ground, a guilty look on her face.

"That's what I smelled!" Parker teased, "Go on and clean up. We'll have breakfast before I leave, O.K.?" Mia nodded and ran out of the tent. She made there safely, he imagined she would make it back without an issue.

Parker sighed and fell onto his cot. He looked at his right hand and focused his attention to the golden ring on his fourth finger. He thought about Johanna. She was the only person on his mind for the last few days; he was aware that after he set foot on that bridge to Long Island he might never see her again.

As if on queue Johanna entered his tent.

Parker turned his head so that he may get a better look at his wife. She was still as beautiful as the first time he laid his eyes on her. Her body was muscular, yet elegant, her eyes gleamed like sunlight. She had an air of confidence about her that Parker found wholly attractive, and every time he was with her he experienced the same feeling he had when they had first met almost two years ago, when she was running from D.C. and he was helping gather survivors.

She approached his cot and sat on the edge of it, looking away towards the entrance of the tent.

"Parker..."

"Don't say anything," he replied, moving over and giving her space to lie down. She curled up next to him as he put her arm over her, "Just enjoy this moment."

"This won't be our last time together, Parker." She rolled over so she could lock her eyes with his. Hers were reassuring, determined, even. Parker's were wavering. He has had many brave and decisive moments, had been involved in numerous dangerous battles, but this one seemed to be the most decisive since D.C.

She smiled, "Everyone's morale is high. Our pokemon are battle-ready. Don't waste your strength on worrying. You've got a pivotal role in the upcoming fight." She lifted her hand and touched his cheek, "You'll do great."

At that moment she leaned in and kissed him, trying to drain away his worry and replace it with her love.

When she broke away, Parker's eyes had lost their worry and regained some determination. Not enough, but it was a start.

"That wasn't enough, huh?" She said with a devilish smile.

"What do you have planned?" Parker asked in a knowing tone.

Johanna got off the cot and closed up the tent. She crawled on top of him, "We have half an hour, right?"

"I believe so."

The devil smile reappeared, "You know exactly what we're going to do"

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Matt was standing on the edge of the bridge to Long Island, his ocarina in hand. He saw the swarms of bug pokemon moving back and forth on patrol when the water assault began. He first saw a large amount of electrodes and voltorbs fall from the sky. He assumed there were at least a hundred as they hit the water, large splashes were followed by deafening explosions. Bright blue electricity surged through the water, and he could hear screams of the hundreds of Gyrados as they were caught in the blast.

A bright purple flash followed the attack, and he saw hundreds of water pokemon appear in mid-air. They dropped into the water beneath, and soon all of the bomb pokemon were being led to shore by them. He sighed with relief. It worked.

Raikou appeared behind him.

_Incredible. _

"That's not the last time you're saying that word, Raikou."

_I sure hope not. Hop on._

Matt climbed onto Raikou's back as Mew and Jirachi appeared next to them.

_Jirachi, are you sure about your idea? _Mew asked, _We could use you at the front, but if you're positive you can convince her to help us that would be more beneficial to our fight._

_ Leave it to me! _Jirachi said with a beaming smile, _She'll help us. Just because you hang out in space your whole life doesn't mean you're not willing to help out those who need it most! I'll be back before you know it, with a powerful new legend at my side!_

"Godspeed, Jirachi." Matt said with a nod. The legend winked at him as he disappeared.

The group looked at the bridge and saw the bugs scrambling desperately to defend themselves, but their defense was futile. The icy winds the water pokemon were creating were enough to cause the bug pokemon to hit the ground and lay unmoving. A thick mist began to cover the bridge, another attack from their allies. Their cover was set.

"Mew. We're ready."

_Right. _Mew said, expanding his consciousness, _All squads, begin phase two. The first wave was a success. Repeat. The first wave was a success. Begin wave two._

Matt looked down at Raikou, who nodded. He played a few notes on his ocarina and felt a powerful wind behind them, ready to push them forwad.

"CHARGE!"

**I_I_I_I_I_I_I_I**

Parker and Entei were teleported into a small neighborhood in the borough. Parker called out his Flygon and Illumise and asked them to scout the area and report back to Entei. They promptly set out.

_Be careful, Parker. I guarantee you Celebi knew of our attack. We might see her today._

"I'm beginning to doubt that she's still alive; she was badly injured in D.C. and we've only heard of her since."

_I would love to believe that. But you know as well as I do how resourceful she is._

"Don't remind me."

His pokemon returned and Entei conversed with them. The dog nodded and the other pokemon returned to Parker's side, waiting for their next command.

_They said there doesn't seem to be a threat in the immediate area, but they spotted a mass of pokemon about six blocks from here. They think it's the base._

"Well we certainly got lucky, didn't we?" Parker said with a grin, mounting Entei.

_Too lucky. We're sticking to the rooftops. I don't trust the street._

"Fine with me" Parker said. Entei nodded and made an enormous leap, reaching the top of a one-story house, then with another leap made it onto another, and another, and soon they were on their way.

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Matt cleared the bridge easily, only having to fell a few mothim along the way. Many squadrons of troops followed him to the edge and were now pouring out into the small business district in front of him, strategically moving into and securing buildings, making sure no pokemon were occupying them.

"This isn't good. The area seems empty..." Matt said.

_I don't like this either. They must've seen our forces coming. Why aren't they fighting back?_

"Let's just move. The sooner we get Long Island back the better."

The two began to bound down the center of the street when the ground began to rumble violently. Raikou lost his footing and stumbled, launching Matt off the pokemon and into the pavement below him, his left shoulder hitting first and getting most of the blow. He slid for a few feet before stopping and trying to get to his feet. His armor protected his shoulder from being cut, but the cloth concealing it was torn. He grunted. He was sure his shoulder was bruised. He looked back at Raikou and saw him stumbling back to his feet as the ground still shook.

"Goddamn it! They were waiting for this!"

_We walked into a trap. Everyone in the buildings is at a large risk._

The earthquake began to increase in magnitude as time passed. Matt struggled to keep his footing, he could see soldiers pouring out of the buildings, trying to get out of the way of anything that could crush them.

The magnitude of the earthquake was intense, but it wasn't strong enough to topple buildings and it seemed to stop increasing in intensity.

"I think they want us all in the street..."

_I sense something below us. Matt! WATCH OUT!_

At that moment the ground in front of Matt broke wide open as a Steelix emerged in front of him, its maw grinning, revealing massive teeth. It dived down in an attempt to crush Matt, but Raikou swept him away before any harm could be done.

"This was the trap! Raikou, we have to get fighting, water, grass and fire pokemon in here, _now_!" Matt saw at least twenty onix and steelix appear from the ground, their attack supplemented by weaville that were supposed to clear out anybody who survived the onslaught of rock and steel.

Matt called out his hitmontop and told it to defend the soldiers being pursued by weaville. The pokemon nodded and deflected an attack but the steelix that just assaulted Matt, causing the pokemon to scream in rage as the hitmontop span away. It gave chase.

"How about those reinforcements?"

_Mew said to wait a few minutes, but they're coming._

"Alright." Matt summoned his ocarina and brought it to his mouth, "I'm going to do the best I can to provide cover for everyone to get behind. Raikou, can you round up any injured you find?"

_I can. Be careful, Matt._

"You do the same, Raikou."

And with that the dog disappeared into the chaos. Matt took the ocarina into his mouth and began to play.

**I_I_I_I_I_I**

Parker's group arrived just outside the mass of pokemon that flygon and illumise had described. They were centered around the tallest office building in the area, with many machamp and lucario guarding the outside.

Entei crouched low on the building they were on, they were still only a story off the ground; easy enough for the pokemon to spot. Parker dismounted and hid behind a large electrical box. He looked at Entei, "What now? There's too many guards for us to handle this alone."

_We wait. There's nothing else we can do yet._

"Are you sure? We need to end this fight as quickly as possible!"

_Have faith. If we don't get help from the bridge in a few minutes, I'll create a distraction while you can ride Flygon to the top of building and launch an assault from the inside. Are you O.K. with that?_

Parker nodded, "More than O.K. I want to do it now."

_Patience. Your time will come._

"It almost sounds like you're talking about my death."

_That, too, but I'm referring to your time to act._

"I caught that."

_Then don't be a smartass._

Parker chuckled and settled his back into the metal behind him. He sat and waited. He prayed that Matt was doing alright.

**I_I_I_I_I**

**Some reviews would be nice. Thanks for reading!**


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